By By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
WILLIAMSTON — For the last three years Williamston volleyball has been crowned the Atlantic Conference champions, and with the Tigers 3-0 win over Southside Tuesday they kept that streak alive.
Williamston’s 25-15, 25-12, 25-22 win over the Seahawks in the Atlantic Conference championship game extended the Tigers’ run of titles to four, and the way they are playing this season they could end up with much more than that.
For the second day in a row, Williamston (19-2) ran through its postseason opponent without losing a game. The Tigers swept Roanoke on Monday, and did the same to Southside (last season’s co-conference champions) on Tuesday.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 14-6 lead in the first game, and with a strong team effort they were able to close out a 25-15 win.
Rogers said he was happy to see his team ready to play from the start.
On the contrary, Southside (11-13, 8-8) didn’t reach its peak until game three where they fell 25-22.
Pruden did say she was pleased with being able to take second in the conference, but also said that she would have liked to see her team step up in the second half of the season.
Despite the disappointing outcome, the Seahawks got a good effort from their net players, which has been Southside’s strength all season. Chelsi Chandler and Mandi Harding were active on both ends of the court, while Daneilya Whitney was an offensive force as well.
Though the Seahawks front court played hard, they were out-matched by a Tigers’ group of net players that might be the best in the area.
Once again, Presley Roberson dominated the middle of the court with the help of Lane Harris and Courtney Bowen. Heather Jackson was all over the place for Williamston, contributing in all phases of the game, while fellow versatile teammates Morgan Miller and Jamie Spruill came up big in all three games.
Miller and Jackson did an excellent job setting up Williamston hitters Roberson and Spruill, and after the game Rogers said that passing was the key to victory.
Williamston will continue its postseason push on Saturday at home when it begins the state playoffs against the loser of the Bear Grass-Cape Hatteras match up