VOLLEYBALL: Carter's match-clinching ace sends CBA to 3rd round

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on October 28, 2016 9:59 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- With match point on the line, Charles B. Aycock senior Hannah Carter calmly stood behind the black line, while Western Alamance awaited the serve.

The ball left her hand and spun over the net. It then ricocheted off a Warriors' wrist and flew over the benches.

The crowd erupted.

The coaches yelled.

The players fist pumped.

Carter and the Golden Falcons aced their way into the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A state volleyball playoffs with a highly contested 20-25, 25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 15-11 victory over Western Alamance on Thursday evening.

Aycock travels to second-seeded Chapel Hill on Saturday. Game time is 6 p.m.

"Those girls got out there and played with so much heart," said CBA head coach Tangela Faulkner. "They were mentally tough, and they did not show any fatigue...we finished strong."

The Golden Falcons finished with energy, but the same could not be said for the opening minutes of the match.

Down 9-8 in the first set, CBA allowed Western to go on an 11-3 run. The huge spark gave the Warriors a 20-11 lead and an eventual first-set victory.

"For some reason, we always start our first sets slow," Faulkner said. "And it's been that way since the beginning of the season. And (Western) was slowing us down. They seemed like they were in no hurry and every time they did that, we bought into it."

In the second and third set, the Golden Falcons were fed up with the deliberate pace.

CBA's serves seemed almost simultaneous with the referee's whistle. The Warriors had little time to settle in their spots, and the Golden Falcons grinded out wins in two consecutive sets.

But sixth-seeded Western would not go quietly. With the score tied at 12-all in the fourth set, CBA committed three straight errors to give the Warriors a 15-12 advantage.

Prior to the final set, Faulkner didn't mince words in the huddle.

"I told my girls, 'This is our home court. I said nobody comes to our home court and takes our game,'" Faulkner said. "We had 15 points. 15 points to get to the third round. I told them 'Right, here, right now. 15 points. Give it all you got.'"

The Golden Falcons responded accordingly. There were three ties, but no lead changes. The final set was the only time Western never led.

After the Warriors used a 3-0 run to close the gap to 12-10, CBA responded by winning three of the next four points -- including the concluding service ace by Carter.

Arlanda Faulkner -- who led the team with 35 kills -- slammed four of them in the fifth set.

Coach Faulkner plans to push the pace even further, practice plays that she's been saving and keep the energy high in preparation for Chapel Hill -- undoubtedly the toughest challenge her team will face this season. She said there are no other girls she'd rather go to war with than this group.

"Those are some awesome girls," Faulkner said. "I couldn't ask for a better group of 14."