PINETOWN — Winners of four straight, the Panthers continued to play sound volleyball on Tuesday to tip off the second half of Coastal Plains Conference play. But against first-place East Carteret, which entered in the midst of a seven-game win streak, Northside’s best wasn’t enough, as the Mariners completed the season sweep with a 3-0 victory.

“Good or bad, at least we were consistent. We played a more consistent match than the first time we saw them,” said head coach Kayla Maddox, referring to the five-game defeat in the conference opener on Sept. 3. “All their girls were hitting it hard. I told (my team) that I’m not disappointed in them and that they did the best they could with what they had.”

Senior-laden East Carteret, which improves to 7-0 in conference, now has a firm grasp on the standings with five matches remaining (seven including nonconference matches) and is in position to lock up their second CPC title in three years. For the Panthers, the Mariners were expected to be a roadblock. Now, it’s about finishing out the rest of the season strong, as second place and a high playoff seed are still up for grabs between Northside, Pamlico County and Jones Senior.

On Tuesday, it was the one-two punch of senior setter Mason Hardison and outside hitter Kasey Waller that stymied the host’s defense. Hardison racked 24 perfectly placed assists, while Waller capitalized, smashing a game-high 13 kills.

For Northside, middle hitter Rachel Lang led her team with seven kills and setter Kendall Alligood continued her all-county-worthy season with 11 assists. The Panthers defended well and transitioned the ball to the net efficiently, but it was at the net where the hits were simply not hard enough.

“We set the plays up well,” Maddox said. “When we hit it, it’s too easy and those girls will be there every time, especially against a team like (East Carteret). You have to hit it hard or you can’t beat them.”

In the first game, unwavering net play from Kasey Waller, Zoey Waller and Avery Barker opened up a quick seven-point lead. Eventually, Alligood, Lang and outside hitter Savannah Slade began to find a rhythm, narrowing the deficit to five at 18-13. East Carteret, however, closed the game out strong, resulting in a 25-16 win.

After another effective start for the Mariners, Northside finally found its stride and took a 9-8 lead, but it would be the only moment in three games the Panthers found themselves on top. Hardison recorded seven meticulous sets, as the Mariners fought off another Panther comeback, taking Game 2 by the score of 25-20.

In the third and final game, Hardison powered her way to 10 assists, while Kasey Waller, Barker and Marissa Wescott all recorded multiple kills. Madison Tetterton led her team with two kills in a 25-17 loss in Game 3.

Despite the setback, Maddox commended her team on yet another well-played match, noting that the Mariners just played lights-out volleyball.

“I expect the rest of the conference to be a lot smoother than this game was,” Maddox said. “We know the rest of our opponents won’t be as fundamentally strong as this team. I expect that this was the one road bump we had to get over and we’ll have smooth sailing from here on out.”

With the loss, Northside drops to 6-4 (4-3 CPC) heading into Thursday’s road match against Pamlico County.