CHOCOWINITY — It’s not very often you get a second chance in sports, but that’s exactly what the Southside volleyball team was afforded after its 25-19, 25-21, 25-11 loss to East Carteret in both teams’ regular season finale.
The Seahawks (5-11, 5-7) entered the contest locked in a tie four fourth place in the Coastal Plains Conference standings with Camp Lejeune and could have locked up a playoff berth with a victory over East Carteret and a Lejeune loss.
However, both Southside and Lejeune fell on Tuesday, which means that both teams will meet up today for a win-and-in battle at Jones Senior High School at 5 p.m.
“We’re just going to have to go out and play the volleyball that we know we can play,” Southside coach Rosalyn Grimes said. “Honestly, I feel that we that with the talent that we have on this team we have the capability to beat any team. We beat Northside and they were the No. 1 team in the conference. If we go out and play like we did against Northside I think we can be ok.”
On Tuesday, Southside faced off against an East Carteret (11-7, 10-2) that needed a win to clinch a share of the conference title with the Panthers and the Mariners did just that as they took three straight against the Seahawks on their Senior Night.
Southside showed flashes of the team that topped Northside, but the consistency was not there as it fell 25-19 in the first set and 25-21 in the second and 25-11 in the third.
The game will likely be the last home game for seniors Raven Elks, Kyajia Mourning, Valarie Hodges and Katie Laughinghouse.
Mourning tallied six blocks and three kills on Tuesday, while Laughinghouse dished out 20 assists and Hodges had seven blocks.
“Kyajia is one of my best hitters and blockers,” Grimes said. “Katie is one of my best all around players. I could put her anywhere. This year I had her hitting and setting. Valarie is a team player and was there in big moments when we needed her and Raven, when we did bring her in, always contributed. They will all definitely be missed next season.”