East Hamilton needed to get even with Baylor in Tuesday’s non-league volleyball match on the Lady Hurricanes’ home court.
After losing the first set, the Lady Hurricanes led 15-10 and felt good about having an opportunity to extend the match to at least four games.
Then the Lady Red Raiders turned up the heat.
Baylor (31-6), coming off a loss to Charlotte Country Day School, ranked 11th nationally by MaxPreps, in a weekend tournament in South Carolina, went on a 15-1 run – it scored the final 11 points – to win the second game and went on to complete a 3-0 sweep.
Set scores were 25-10, 25-16, 25-18.
“I’m very blessed to have a very young and talented team,” Baylor coach Sarah Lail said.
That fact definitely was proven throughout the match, but especially in the second set that took the steam out of the Lady Hurricanes’ hopes to challenge Baylor.
East Hamilton (13-19) built an early 8-1 lead in the second set and were up 15-9 on Meredith Stott’s kill set up by Emma Lenoir.
Baylor’s Haven Bethune then delivered a slam at the net.
Lady Red Raiders points started rolling like a runaway avalanche – many of them coming on errors, mishits and shots into the net and over the sideline and backline boundaries by the Lady Hurricanes.
Lenoir’s kill sailed long. That was followed by a net error. Baylor’s Jane Wilson scored on a kill and an East Hamilton return went out, pulling Baylor to within 15-14.
Lenoir’s two-handed push was out, Autumn Lowrie’s shot missed its mark and Lenoir’s shot went long.
Baylor sophomore Lilly Turner went back to serve.
Point. Another point. Junior Abby Hubert scored on a tap. Turner had another service point, extending the run to 10-1 and pushing Baylor out front by 20-16.
“You have to go back there (to serve) and know you can’t give them free balls, especially when we’re down,” said Turner, who had five aces, seven digs and one assist in the match. “I visualize what I’m going to do, tell myself what to do, go back there with confidence and do it.
“I’m very confident serving. If you think about missing a serve you’re probably going to miss it.”
Bethune, a sophomore credited with one ace, 10 kills, one block, 12 assists and six digs, scored on a kill and East Hamilton gave Baylor back-to-back points and the Red Raiders led 23-16.
Hubert, who registered four kills and three blocks, launched a laser kill and Turner got a service point to end the set.
“It was all about us maintaining our composure when we got behind,” Turner said. “We showed heart, pushed back and won.”
The marvelous rally brought a wide grin to Lail’s face when talking about it after the match.
“That definitely doesn’t happen often like that,” she said. It takes a good team effort and, honestly, a little luck and them (Lady Hurricanes) making some mistakes.”
The second-set loss continued a struggle East Hamilton has endured this season, according to coach Kristy Lenoir.
“We’ve been inconsistent all year and we go through streaks where we give up a lot of points at one time,” Lenoir said. “And it’s one thing to give up one ace, but it’s another thing to let it happen three or four times in a row. We’ve just struggled with big swings in how we play.”
Lenoir also was without one of her top players in Samantha Headrick, who was sidelined by a stomach virus.
“She’s normally playing all the way around and not having her tonight definitely affected us,” Lenoir said. “Any time you have to make changes it hurts.”
Headrick was dressed, but trainers advised her coach she should sit this one out.
The Lady Raiders got off to a good start in the opening set and had a 7-4 lead – Baylor scored on two Hubert blocks – both against Emma Lenoir, Gabby Gray’s well-placed touch shot and Wilson’s block.
Those blocks by Hubert inspired the entire group of red-and-white clad teammates on the court.
“I take pride in playing defense,” Hubert said. “As for the blocks on their best player (Lenoir, the 2013 District 5-AAA Co-Player of the Year), we knew coming in she was their go-to player and I was ready for that.”
Said Lail of Hubert’s play: “She was injured early in the season and she’s just now getting back in the lineup. She’s very explosive, quick and brings an element of athleticism. Abby can get us a quick block and gives us another offensive weapon. We’re glad to have her back.”
From 7-4 Baylor stretched the spread to 14-7, 17-9. East Hamilton’s Lenoir smacked a kill shot, but the Lady Raiders reeled off scored the final eight points – there’s another one of those swings against the Lady Hurricanes – to take the 1-0 lead.
Gray had three kills down the stretch in the opener.
“I want to get the ball and finish,” Gray said. “I do well under pressure at the net or back on the service line. I know what it takes to finish out a game.”
Up 3-0 on Lexy Hellerstedt’s kill, Bethune netted a serve, but Baylor built an 8-1 lead when Hubert scored on a kill and blocked another Lenoir kill shot, Gray smacked a soft East Hamilton return for a point and the Lady Hurricanes contributed two miscues in that run.
East Hamilton trimmed its deficit to 14-11 on Tori Harris’ service point. Baylor responded with three straight points on two East Hamilton misplays and Bethune’s push.
The Lady Raiders had a 22-16 advantage on Bethune’s kill and the Lady Hurricanes scored twice on Lenoir’s over-the-shoulder tap – she finished with 11 kills, 13 digs and six assists – and a teammates’ shot just inside the sideline, but East Hamilton miscues produced the match’s final three points.
“Baylor is a very good team,” coach Lenoir said. “They’ll go deep in the state tournament and they’ll be good for several years because they’re so young. They’re solid all the way around.”
STATISTICS
Baylor
Jane Wilson – 2 kills, 1 block
Haven Bethune – 1 ace, 10 kills, 1 block, 12 assists, 6 digs
Cassie Elrod – 1 assist, 3 digs
Lilly Turner – 5 aces, 1 assist, 7 digs
Sarah Sumida – 2 kills, 1 block, 10 assists, 5 digs
Gabby Gray – 2 aces, 10 kills, 7 digs
Ashleigh Cook – 1 kill, 1 block
Lexy Hellerstedt – 3 kills
Abby Hubert – 4 kills, 3 blocks
East Hamilton
Tori Harris – 3 digs, 12 assists, 1 assist
Meredith Stott – 4 kills, 2 digs, 2 assists
Emma Lenoir – 11 kills, 13 digs, 6 assists
Kayli Jones – 2 kills, .5 block
Somer Batten – 2 kills, 3 digs, 1 assist, .5 block
Autumn Lowrie – 1 kill, 1 dig
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com) and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)