VOLLEYBALL: Princeton eliminates Mattamuskeet in 1A playoffs

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on October 27, 2016 10:06 AM

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PRINCETON -- Set the tone, check.

Attack with no reservations, check.

Defend, large check.

Those guidelines served as the modus operandi for Princeton, which easily dispatched Mattamuskeet, 25-12, 25-14, 25-9 in opening-round action of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A volleyball playoffs Wednesday evening.

The landslide clinic took just over an hour to complete.

"As a whole team, we came out strong," head coach Paige Renfrow said. "We served really well and had good defense, good coverage."

And a large dose of the aforementioned game plan.

Sixth-seeded Princeton (15-6 overall), comprised of 10 upperclassmen, cruised to a 13-point triumph in the opener. The team was led by the play of senior outside/middle hitter Daisey Eklund and Beth Braswell who finished with 13 kills and 37 assists, respectively.

Matters failed to improve for Mattamuskeet in the second stanza, which again saw Princeton establish an early lead en route to an 11-point triumph. The finale was merely a rehashment of the first two sets, and witnessed the Bulldogs file a 25-9 victory.

Senior Kortney Edwards tallied nine kills for the Bulldogs, and was joined in the scorebook by Erika Hines and Emily Ricks, who contributed six apiece. Ricks also played well behind the service line, finishing the match with six aces.

"Overall, I feel like we had a solid night," Renfrow noted. "And Mattamuskeet was no pushover -- no one is in the playoffs. They were able to get some passes up and had a few good blocks."

But alas, not enough.

Round two of the playoffs will represent a road test for the Bulldogs, who travel today to face third-seeded Camden County -- a team which has dropped just 19 sets all season.

Mattamuskeet, which competed in its first-ever playoff game in program history, concluded its campaign with a 12-12 ledger.