Step in the right direction: P.S. Jones’ victory in middle school tournament may be just what Demons need

Published 2:24 am Thursday, September 26, 2024

By Jason O. Boyd

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CHOCOWINITY, N.C. – Momentum can work wonders in sports.

It gives you confidence you can win your game or match. It pushes players to strive harder and work longer to get the job done.

However, you never know at the moment just how far it will carry you.

P.S. Jones Middle School’s volleyball team got some of that momentum on Saturday after winning the 2nd annual Unity Christian Academy Middle School Block Party. The Demons won the two-day event title match after a tough battle with a Chocowinity team that lost to P.S. Jones in Friday’s first round. The Indians pushed the Demons to a third-set tiebreaker on Saturday before P.S. Jones prevailed.

The team celebrated after the hard-fought 25-21, 24-26, 15-12 win and posed for photos after the trophy presentation. It not only improved the team’s record to 5-3 on the season, but it also gave the team some momentum going into Pitt County Athletic Association play on Monday, where they beat E.B. Aycock.

“It’s our first year being here, and it was a great experience,” P.S. Jones coach Kristen Slade said. “(UCA) put on a great tournament. And we got to play a bunch of different teams.

“And this early in the season is really going to help us throughout the long run, because we don’t play any of these teams, really. We play Pitt County teams. So it’s really going to help us and to continue working together as a team.”

Erica Gurkin, the school athletic director who also helps coach the team, said she knew the team would be able to dig down deep after Chocowinity won the second set to force the tie-breaker.

“I told the girls they had to beat us a whole other set of two out of three. So I told them, just go out there and have fun,” Gurkin said. “We prayed, and I said, ‘Run it at them.’

“It’s kind of intimidating with that free ball defense we’re playing because we don’t typically have to play that, but we have to play that with Chocowinity. But our girls, they figured out how to play Chocowinity. And that second one, they struggled with the second set, but it just seems like typical. We always come out good, struggle with the second, and then have to battle in the third.

“But they did a great job.”

Chocowinity reached the final by beating Bath 25-23, 25-22. The Indians carried that momentum into its first set with the Demons, leading early. P.S. Jones broke a 9-all tie and held on after Chocowinity cut the deficit to 20-19.

The Indians got the momentum back in the second set and led 22-19 before the Demons tied it at 23-all. Chocowinity won the next two points to force the third set.

P.S. Jones led 12-5 but Chocowinity cut it to 14-12 before the Indians’ return was out of bounds, setting off the celebration.

For UCA athletic director Joey Craft, who saw the Spartans win the inaugural tournament last year, it was a successful two-day event that benefitted fans, players and teams overall. And although only one team could win, it could be just the momentum each squad needs to have a successful rest of the season.

“We went to a two-day tournament, brought in … Bath was able to come this year, of course, P.S. Jones,” Craft said. “And man, they got a good squad. I mean, it does nothing but make your girls better participating in something like this.

“I think we’ve got the facility to do it. We’ve got the volunteers that are willing to come in and put in the work. We’re excited about what the block party has become. And we’re excited on how we can grow it and make it better.”

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