WASHINGTON (7-5, 2-2 2A EASTERN CAROLINA CONFERENCE) VS. GREENE CENTRAL (2-9, 1-4 2A ECC)

SNOW HILL — Playing for the first time in 15 days, Washington shook off some early rust before defeating Greene Central in four sets yesterday, 25-17, 17-25, 25-15, 25-19.

Washington head coach Mallory Lee said the victory was a good way for her team to get “back into the swing of things after they’ve been out for so long.” Lee was especially pleased with how her team blocked at the net, pointing to Leah Spencer and Briasia Somerville, a JV player called up for the game, as players that excelled at blocking.

“We’ve been working on blocking a lot in practice. And so that was nice to see that incorporated into a game. I think in the first, in the third and the fourth set they were playing really aggressively, which scored us more points and we won. They weren’t moving great yesterday, but other than that I think they looked pretty good.”

Washington will next play Ayden-Grifton (12-1, 4-0 2A ECC) at home on Oct. 2.

 

NORTHSIDE (2-4, 1-3 1A COASTAL PLAINS CONFERENCE) VS. PAMLICO COUNTY (6-1, 3-0 1A CPC)

BAYBORO — Finally back on the court after Hurricane Florence, Northside couldn’t overcome Pamlico County, falling to the Hurricanes in straight sets yesterday, 17-25, 17-25, 20-25.

Despite the loss, Northside coach Michelle Leathers was pleased with the heart and hustle shown by her players.

“Our team played, even though we lost, we played well,” Leathers said. “Since I’ve been coaching the last three years, this is the best I’ve seen us play; the best I’ve seen us play against Pamlico County.”

Leathers said it was a team effort from the Panthers, but also pointed to Jessica Foster, Kathleen Slade and Logan Jefferson as players who stood out. Northside’s coach said the hustle her team showed and their communication are things that can help the Panthers moving forward.

“There were times that we could’ve given up on plays, but we hustled and got the ball back over the net,” Leathers said. “We communicated well. That’s our number one thing that we want to do on the floor, is communicate and make sure everybody knows their position and where they’re supposed to be.”

Northside heads to Riverside (10-3, 4-0 1A CPC) today to take on the Knights.

 

SOUTHSIDE (5-5, 1-1 1A CPC) VS. RIVERSIDE (10-3, 4-0 1A CPC)

WILLIAMSTON — Southside gained confidence from its five-set loss to South Creek earlier on Monday, but it wasn’t enough to stand up to Riverside on yesterday, as the Seahawks fell in straight sets, 9-25, 3-25, 7-25.

Southside head coach Atyana Starkie said Riverside is a good team, but the Seahawks were rattled by some early mistakes and could never recover.

“They were encouraged from how well we played in the other game (against South Creek on Monday), but once we made a couple of mistakes once again we got in our heads and we shut down,” Starkie said.

The Seahawk coach also said she thinks the vocal student section at Riverside played a part in her team’s loss of confidence.

“Of course everybody’s got a student section, but the student section kind of rattled the girls even more,” Starkie said. “That kind of got in their heads a little more than the players already.”

Moving forward, Starkie said she’ll continue working on creating a mindset for her team of continuing to fight for more points, no matter if they’re in the lead or trailing.

The Seahawks return to action today, hosting Tarboro (1-9, 0-4 1A CPC).