The Pam Pack’s ride through the postseason came to an abrupt end on Tuesday as Washington fell 25-15, 25-23, 19-25, 25-18 to South Granville in the second round of the NCHSAA state playoffs.
“I think we started off a little bit slow,” Washington coach Kelly Slade said. “But, the girls played with a lot of heart and came back and was able to take a game from them. All the games were really close. We played really hard tonight.”
Washington (17-8), the No. 2 seed from the Coastal Plains Conference, got off to a bumpy start, falling 25-15 to the Vikings (23-6), the No. 1 seed from the Northern Carolina Conference.
The Pam Pack warmed up in the second set, but could not overcome South Granville as it lost by two points.
In the third, Washington was able to get over the hump as it downed the Vikings 25-19, but could not replicate that effort in the fourth set as it fell 25-18.
“I think the biggest difference was consistency,” Slade said. “We weren’t consistent from start to finish. We had a lot of good runs and some good beginnings and some good ends but we just could not string it all together in one game.”
Senior Megan Corey led Washington with 23 kills and two blocks, while junior Adriana Tyson added 16 kills and a team-high five blocks.
“Megan Corey came out and had a big night and really did her job as a senior tonight,” Slade said. “She was a leader and she worked as hard as I ever seen her.”
Senior Ann Hunt Tanner dished out 21 assists, while Allison Brantley was right behind her with 16.
Overall, it was a good season for the Pam Pack who finished in second place in the conference before winning the conference tournament and picking up its first playoff win in over 15 years.
“We worked really hard this season and I think it definitely paid off,” Slade said. “We were able to not only make it to the playoffs but we were able to get a win in the first round.
“We’re making progress each year and that’s great. Each year we’re getting better. We just need to keep working hard during the summer and next year the goal is going to be to further than we got this year.”