Wayne Christian bests Wayne Country Day in Four Sets

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on September 21, 2017 11:45 PM

• Print
• Email

In terms of rivalry fare, Thursday's volleyball rematch between Wayne Christian and Wayne Country Day provided a memorable element for every enthusiast of the game.   

Recent history? Check, as evidenced by the five-set thrill ride won by Wayne Christian just two weeks ago in Patetown.

Noise?

It was aplenty, and spilled from both fan bases in a combative chorus during the pregame warmup period.

There was even high-octane signage, akin to something one might see on a certain Saturday morning pre-game show, serving as a tidy reminder of sorts from the Eagle faithful.

Your school, your court... Our game.

Ahem.

But all's fair in between the service lines when these two schools meet, and when the dust settled around Wayne Christian's 25-22, 25-20, 17-25, 25-22 victory, one thing was clear.

These two should do this more often.

Wayne Christian proved organized from the outset,  winning both sides of the net en route to an opening set victory. From there, its momentum continued, resulting in a 25-20 second-stanza triumph universally praised by Eagle head coach Rick Moore.

"I think a team can play at a high level... above how they normally play, for a while, and we were doing that (in the opening two sets)," Moore noted. "And then it was a matter of grit."

And further, a matter of Wayne Country Day spirit.

Refusing to settle in the suggestion of a sweep, the Lady Chargers dug in and built a 9-3 advantage to begin the third set, punctuated by a Lillian Freeman kill at 13-7 that put more than a little noise back in the gymnasium.

"My girls played hard, they hustled... it was a different showcase," WCDS coach Haleigh Wilhide said of the third set. "We had to pick up our tempo and play the way we're used to playing."

It simply wasn't enough to conquer the visiting Eagles, who assumed control of the fourth set early and rode the confounding service game of senior Kasey Norris to a 25-22 victory.

Wayne Christian logged 39 kills on the match, paced by Hope Shook's 18 and Ashlee Harrelson's 10. Sarah Sawyer also performed ably, finishing with nine kills.

Norris led WC with 39 assists.

Grayson Jeffreys led WCDS with 15 kills and seven aces. Whitney Hoskins also filed a superb effort from the service line, registering seven aces.

Hannah Neal provided nine kills, and Cate Eagles chipped in 28 assists.

Wayne Christian (15-7) returns to action next week versus Greenfield. WCDS plays host to Rocky Mount Academy tonight.  

First serve is 6 p.m.