By
Dan Spears
Dan.Spears@StarNewsOnline.com
Hoggard volleyball coach Ron Strickland has had few problems keeping his team loose this season.
The Vikings showed off their smiles as much as their hitting and serving in Saturday’s 25-12, 25-15, 25-11 sweep of Southeast Raleigh in the opening round of the NCHSAA 4A state tournament.
But with five sophomores and a freshman in the starting lineup and only two seniors on the roster, the veteran coach is working on getting his team focused under playoff pressure.
“That’s part of the reason we’ve brought some JV kids up,” Strickland said. “It’s a different beast when everything’s riding on it. You’ve just got to be a whole lot tougher mentally.”
Keeping focus Saturday could have been tough for the Vikings (16-7), who jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the opening set over the Bulldogs (9-11). They quickly took care of business, however, as Strickland was able to play everyone, a “luxury in the playoffs,” he said.
For the rest of the season, though, Hoggard’s few returning players will have to step up. Sophomore setter Ellen Tootoo doesn’t see that as a problem.
“Things are finally starting to fall into place,” she said. “We’re a young team, but we’ve come a long way because Coach Strick has pushed us.”
Hoggard travels to Mid-South champion Jack Britt (22-3) for the second round, with the match at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Buccaneers beat the Vikings in three close sets earlier this season, but Strickland said his team is a little different, and his middle hitters’ improvement could go a long way to reversing that result.
With a young team that returns virtually everyone for next season, many people might be looking ahead. The way the Vikings have played down the stretch, Tootoo said next year can wait until next year.
“We thought of that,” she said. “But we really feel this is going to be a year for us to go deep.”
Pictures from the game in the Star News
Scores
25-12 (H), 25-15 (H), 25-11 (H)
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Monty and Alyssa block SE Raleigh |
Individual Stats
Jamie Jarrell - 12 kills, 6 digs, 2 aces
Alyssa Campagna - 6 kills
Abi Wright - 1 kills, 1 block, 2 assists
Cassidy Stephenson - 3 kills, 3 blocks, 3 assists
Montgomery Register - 4 kills, 2 blocks, 1 dig
Meryl Estep - 1 kill
Kara Westmoreland - 1 kill
Amanda White - 3 assists, 18 digs, 2 ace
Kellie Esinhart - 1 kill, 1 assist, 9 digs, 1 ace
Maggie Sheets - 1 dig
Mary Beth Herring - 1 dig
Courtney Tarter - 3 digs
Shelly Saito - 2 blocks, 6 assists, 1 digs, 1 ace
Ellen Tootoo - 3 kills, 2 blocks, 6 digs, 17 assists, 3 aces
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Jamie attacks |
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Shelly and Monty take care of front row defense |
