The East Hamilton Lady Hurricanes had lost two tough district volleyball matches to start the season, but new coach Brian Wood had complete confidence in his team prior to Monday’s non-district match at Silverdale.
Turns out the veteran coach knew what he was talking about as the Lady Canes beat the Lady Seahawks in three straight, winning by scores of 25-22, 25-17 and 25-20.
East Hamilton is now 1-2 on the young season while Silverdale is now 4-8 overall.
“Finally,” Wood exclaimed after the final point had been scored for his first win with them after a long and successful coaching stint at Chattanooga Christian.
“Things are starting to come together for us, but we passed better and took care of the ball. Effective passing can win a lot of volleyball matches, but I was proud of the way we finished.
“I came here today expecting to win after the way we played at Ooltewah last week, but we just needed a little confidence to get us over the edge. I’m really pleased with the production of our middle.
“We tend to lose focus between sets at times, but we never panicked in that second set and I was happy about that,” he added.
The first set was the closest of the day as the score was tied 14 times.
The Lady Seahawks got a kill from Kenzie Manning to go ahead 22-21, but Madison Hayes answered with a kill for East Hamilton to tie the score again before the visitors scored the final three points to take the early lead.
Falyn Blalock got the Lady Seahawks off and running with nine straight service points to start the second set, including three aces.
A block from Manning extended that early lead to 13-1, but that’s when the tide turned and the momentum went from Silverdale’s side to East Hamilton’s.
Nine straight service points from Lillie Hardy turned a 15-9 deficit into an 18-15 lead.
A kill from Katie Patrick slowed the Lady Canes for a brief moment, but everything was going right for the visitors while the wheels came off completely for Silverdale as East Hamilton finished the set on a 24-4 run to win going away.
The Lady Seahawks never really got back in it following that second-set meltdown as East Hamilton scored five of the first six points to keep the momentum on its side.
Hardy’s ace gave the Lady Canes a little breathing room at 19-17 and she had four more service points – including three kills from Hayes – for a 23-17 lead. Another kill from Hayes, one of 13 in the match, ended the contest a minute later.
“We fought really hard as four freshmen saw a lot of playing time today, but we’ve come a long way in the last week and I like the direction we’re headed,” said Silverdale coach Nathan Daugherty after the match ended.
“We got off to a nice start in that second set, but just got too comfortable. We have to find a way to respond in a positive way when the pressure rises like that. But East Hamilton played really well,” the bearded fellow added.
Hayes may have been the difference in the match as she finished with 13 kills, 14 digs and a block for the Lady Canes. Jayla Price had 17 digs and four aces while freshman Hillary English finished with 29 assists.
Emma Dale finished with five kills for Silverdale while Emmaline Hale had three aces and Blalock eight assists.
Harper Sutton and Blalock both got credit for one dig each, but it was obvious that the stat keeper missed a few key plays for her team.
The youthful Lady Seahawks had a positive weekend as they won the Silver division at the Bradley Bash.
East Hamilton will be on the road again Tuesday for a district battle at Soddy Daisy while Silverdale travels to Copper Basin on Tuesday before hosting Grace on Thursday.
SALE CREEK IMPROVED to 9-1 with a 3-1 win over Rhea County Monday at Sale Creek. Match scores were 23-25, 25-17, 25-18 and 25-11.
The Lady Panthers, fresh off their second-straight Hixson Invitational title, got 19 kills and 28 digs from Ariana Smith while Bailey Nelson had 43 assists and seven aces. Morgan Weatherford was also outstanding with 32 digs.
CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN posted another win on Monday, beating visiting Sequatchie County in three sets. The match wasn't close as the Lady Chargers prevailed by scores of 25-11, 25-14 and 25-4.
Cassie Curry had 13 kills, Anna Linkous eight digs and Rachel Kay 20 assists for the winners.
EAST HAMILTON STATS:
Madison Hayes – 13 kills, 14 digs, 1 block
Raine Phillips – 4 kills, 4 blocks
Morgan Ralls – 6 digs
Taryn Robinson – 1 kill, 2 digs
Jayla Price – 4 aces, 17 digs
Sydney Batten – 1 ace, 3 kills, 11 digs
Emma Mitchell – 3 kills, 1 block
Lillie Hardy – 1 ace, 2 kills, 4 digs
Hillary English – 1 kill, 29 assists
Jordyn Griffith – 1 ace, 2 kills, 1 block, 8 digs.
SILVERDALE STATS:
Emma Dale – 5 kills, 1 ace
Harper Sutton – 1 assist, 1 dig
Katie Patrick – 1 kill, 2 blocks
Emmaline Hale – 3 aces
Kenzie Manning – 3 kills, 2 blocks
Caroline Dale – 1 kill
Sarah Kestila – 3 kills
Falyn Blalock – 8 assists, 3 aces, 1 dig.
SALE CREEK STATS:
Ariana Smith -- 19 kills, 28 digs, 1 ace, 2 blocks
Gracie Janow -- 16 kills, 8 digs, 2 aces, 3 blocks
Bailey Nelson -- 5 digs, 43 assists, 7 aces
Morgan Weatherford -- 32 digs
Madysun Steele -- 5 kills
Avery Cox -- 18 digs, 2 aces
Tayla Willis -- 4 kills, 19 digs
Sydney Gibson -- 2 blocks.
CCS STATS:
Cassie Curry -- 13 kills 5 aces, 7 digs
A.J. Johnson -- 10 kills, 2 digs
Anna Linkous -- 8 digs
Rachel Kay -- 20 assists, 3 aces
Bailey Lancaster -- 10 assists, 4 aces
Grace Logterman -- 1 kill, 2 aces
Annika Fischer -- 6 kills, 1 block
Allison Hughes -- 3 aces, 3 digs
Brieanna Hemphill -- 4 kills
Jenny Armao -- 3 kills
Mayce Moore -- 2 aces, 1 dig.
(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)