Hoggard beats Pender 3-0 in Endowment Match

Hoggard regroups, sweeps Pender in volleyball

By Ashley Barker, Wilmington Star News

Published: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 10:58 p.m.

Alyssa tips a kill.

Alyssa Campagna had been in a slump since Hoggard's trip to Chapel Hill this past weekend for the Tiger Invitational. However, when she returned home for the Vikings' match against Pender – last year's 1A state champion – her luck turned around as Hoggard beat the Patriots in three games and Campagna lead the team with 17 kills.

"She started getting smart with the ball," said Hoggard's outside hitter Jamie Jarrell, who notched 16 kills. "Her first hit was a tip and that's what we've been working on for a while now. So, that really got us excited. Normally she just wails at the ball."

The remainder of the first game was dominated by Hoggard. The Vikings jumped out with a 5-1 lead and capitalized off of a dramatic backward hit by Jenna Baranowksi, which sailed from the edge of Pender's back line to the opposite end of the court and out of bounds.

The momentum switched during Game 2. The Patriots led by seven before Hoggard took a time out to regroup. Following the pause, the Vikings scored seven consecutive points.

Pender quickly roared back to regain the lead.

"It wasn't that we relaxed or anything like that," Hoggard coach Ron Strickland said. "My libero came out a little shaky in that match, and she's usually rock solid, and everybody kind of followed her. They're a good team and they capitalized on it."

Hoggard's Cassidy Stephenson served the ball and once it was volleyed back, she tapped it over the net and found a hole on the Pender side to end the comeback at 25-21.

"We stopped hitting the ball because Hoggard blocked us so good," Pender coach Ray Horton said. "If they play well and make a good play, we can still play good and not stop their good play."

Amanda White, who led the Vikings with 23 digs, served the game-clinching point of the match. It was volleyed high twice before being spiked back out of bounds by Pender's Jessica Sanabria.

"They don't want to lose to Pender and Pender doesn't want to lose to us. It's a good-hearted rivalry," Strickland said. "Because the girls all know each other, it means a lot emotionally, much more than it does in the X's and O's."

Hoggard wins 3-0

27-25 (H), 25-21 (H), 25-21 (H)

Individual Statistics
Jamie Jarrell - 16 kills, 1 block, 13 digs

Alyssa Campagna - 17 kills, 3 blocks, 4 digs

Abi Wright - 2 kills, 1 assist, 1 block

Cassidy Stephenson - 3 kills, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 5 digs

Montgomery Register - 8 blocks, 1 dig

Amanda White - 23 digs, 1 assist

Kellie Esinhart - 1 kill, 1 ace, 7 digs

Maggie Sheets - 4 digs

Mary Beth Herring - 3 digs

Shelly Saito - 2 kills, 13 assists, 2 blocks, 5 digs

Ellen Tootoo - 4 kills, 23 assists, 2 aces, 3 blocks, 12 digs