CHOCOWINITY — It may have been a rematch, but there were two entirely different volleyball teams on the court Monday night at Southside High School. Using a new defensive formation, Washington secured the season sweep of Southside with a 3-1 victory, rebounding from a tough loss to Riverside on Thursday.

“We did make some changes defensively, which resulted in a lot better communication and a lot better coverage,” said Washington head coach Kelly Slade. “I think the girls were moving to the ball quicker and they were in their spots more consistently. Basically it filled some holes that we previously had.”

Losers of two-straight, the Pam Pack’s new framework led to an increase in digs and better court movement, despite Southside hitters Andrea Waters and Symone Ruffin having a productive all-around match. After getting beat 3-0 by Washington in the season opener, the Seahawks, like their opponent, came out organized, energized and confident. Both offensively and defensively, Ruffin’s impact was felt, as she tallied three assists, two blocks and led all hitters with seven kills.

In the first game, Washington pulled out to an 18-10 lead, powered by a couple aces from Meghan Moore and Sarah Lynch. But Southside began quickly chipping away, piecing together an eight-point rally to tie the game at 18. The lead would shift a few more times, before some solid serving from Taylor Langley eventually locked up the comeback and gave the Seahawks a 25-22 win.

“Southside improved since the last time that they played us,” Slade said. “Their serving has improved and their coverage has improved. I think they’re going to have a successful year in their conference. You can tell that they’ve been working this week for sure.”

Despite another comeback from the host in the final points, Southside struggled with unforced errors in the second game, giving Washington a comfortable 25-17 win.

Setter Briley Waters sacrificed assists for spikes in the third game, racking up three kills, all assisted by Lynch. After four different lead changed, the Pam Pack finally began to pull away halfway through the game. Up 20-15, a kill from Waters and an ace from Moore sealed a 25-18 win and put the visitors up 2-1.

In the fourth and final game, Washington and Southside traded chunks of points, but up 17-15, the serving of Lynch and net play of Jordan Prescott sealed the deal, giving the Pam Pack a 25-18 win.

“We worked on some specific things to help us prepare for the week,” Slade said. “We had a couple of miscues, but overall I think (our defense) looked really good. Once we can tweak it and get it to where our old defense was, I think it’ll make a huge impact on our play this season.”

For Washington, Waters finished with five kills and three aces, while Gardner wasn’t far behind with four kills.

With the win, the Pam Pack improves to 2-2 and will face Northside on Tuesday, while Southside drops to 1-2 heading into its road matchup against South Creek on Thursday.