The Washington volleyball team rebounded from two straight losses to finish off the week on a high note as it swept area rival Northside 25-20, 25-15, 25-18 on Wednesday.
The win was the second in a row versus Northside, and the second overall for the Pam Pack who upped its record to 2-3 on the season with the victory.
“I think tonight we had the best communication and the best teamwork we’ve had so far this season and it showed in our performance,” Washington coach Kelly Slade said.
Washington was led by junior middle hitter Megan Corey who had six kills, five blocks and three aces. Also coming up big for the Pack was Adriana Tyson, who also had six kills, as well as Justyce McKissick, who added two kills and block to go along with her strong serving.
For the Panthers (0-2, Four Rivers), the game was only their second of the season and coach Tami Wagaman felt like they made some progress since their season opener but would like to see more intensity from her team.
“I think we did a lot better,” Wagaman said. “We’re still a little scared to get up there and whip at the ball, we tend to want to tip it a lot.”
At times, Northside played brilliant volleyball but those stretches did not last long enough to get the win.
“We played awesome for a couple of points but then we fell out of it,” Wagaman said. “We just need to be more consistent.”
Senior middle hitter Jordan Woolard had a strong game as she racked up a game-high 13 kills, while Brittney Alligood added 16 assists and Alex Cutler tallied five kills and four blocks.
Both team’s boasted talented middle hitters as Woolard clashed with Corey throughout the evening which provided fans plenty of thunderous kills and rigid blocks.
“It was a great matchup,” Slade said. “They’re both great players. They put on a good show.”
Washington’s victory was aided by strong starts as it get off to an 11-6 lead in the first match before Wagaman called a timeout and lit a fire under her team that ignited an 8-5 run to close the gap to 16-14. However, the Pack would respond with a run if its own and closed out the match with a 9-6 run to earn a 25-20 win.
In the second match Washington jumped out to a 16-7 lead. The Panthers fought back, and after back-to-back aces by Cutler, trimmed the deficit to 17-11, but the team could not catch up to Washington.
The Pam Pack would wrap up the sweep with a 25-18 victory and after the match Slade praised the team’s ability to work together.
“The key was teamwork,” Slade said. “Tonight they worked as a team and communicated as a team. It was the best they have done all year and it showed.”
The Pam Pack will be back in action on Tuesday when it hosts Havelock, while the Panthers will return to the hardwood on next Thursday when they play at Plymouth.