Southern Wayne’s Ilescia Warner, left, and Amya Smith. right, block a kill attempt by Hunt’s Kayla Battle during first-set action Thursday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
DUDLEY — Southern Wayne couldn’t close the deal.After taking two nearly-flawless first sets against traditional Quad County 3A volleyball power Hunt on Thursday afternoon, the Saints lost momentum.
Frustration surfaced from unforced errors that allowed the Warriors to seize momentum and depart with a 10-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-17, 15-10 victory.
“Errors, errors, errors,” SW head coach Hannah Sladick said. “And I told them in the [post-game] huddle it’s all about mindset, it’s all about pushing through. You have to have the mindset of playing point by point, and winning the next point.”
Southern Wayne dominated the first two sets.
The Saints displayed strong communication, a tenacious hustle for loose balls and consistently attacked transition balls. Middle hitter Jy’Asha Cousins got numerous touches on the ball, which enabled her teammates to create offense.
Cousins’ block and Lesley Elizalde’s ace capped the second set.
Hunt struggled.
The Warriors lacked focus, couldn’t get into an offensive system and outside hitter Gracelynn Wolzen was a non-factor. In the team’s previous matchup, the 5-foot-11 senior dominated at the pin and buried cross-court kills with ease.
“We let her get to us,” Sladick recalled.
Down 2-0, the Warriors tweaked their rotation and changed their service game. Wolzen became more effective thanks to serves in zones that pulled the Saints out of their offensive rhythm.
Hunt raced to a 9-3 lead and quickly pulled away to force a fourth set.
In set four, the teams were tied at 9-9, 10-10 and 11-11 before the Warriors scored four straight points. The teams traded mini runs on sideout balls, but the Saints couldn’t close the gap.
Wolzen closed out the set with a cross-court kill that dropped between three Southern Wayne defenders.
“We told them they’re not going to roll over for us,” Sladick said. “[Then] we started to make all of the errors.”
Southern Wayne forged ahead 3-1 in the decisive fifth set.
The Saints appeared to go up 4-1, but the floor referee signaled a net violation that was not apparent on video. Hunt tied the set at 4-4 despite committing a four-hit violation after an attack attempt hit the net and fell back on the Warriors’ side of the court.
Wolzen and junior outside hitter Presley Frazier got in synch on the outside pin. The duo either delivered cross-court kills or connected on off-speed shots over the Saints, who failed to cover holes behind their blockers.
Wolzen’s kill and an ace sealed Hunt’s comeback.
The Warriors improved to 6-0 against the Saints since the league’s inception in 2021.
“We have to find a way to finish the game,” said Sladick, whose team is 0-4 in five-set outings this season. “We can’t be okay with taking two sets off of Hunt. When you go back to serve, you have to take a deep breath and know you’re getting the ball over [the net].
“When you’re going up to hit, you have to find a way to score…got to do something.”
Senior libero Karlie Lane and senior Gracie Hinson posted career highs in digs with 30 and 24, respectively. The Saints logged season highs in digs (77) and blocks (25) as a team.
Lane served three aces and dished out three assists.
Cousins filed a double-double – 10 kills, 15 blocks. Ilescia Warner provided three kills and seven blocks, while Mylee Wiggs notched 11 kills and seven digs.
Amya Smith contributed nine blocks. Setters Taylor Lee (nine digs) and Kara Davis passed out 16 and 12 assists, respectively.
Southern Wayne (8-9 overall, 4-6 QCC) entertains South Johnston next Tuesday. The JV match starts at 4 p.m.
