PINETOWN — Closing the 2014 season without a win, each victory has been a positive for a young Southside volleyball team focused on building. For cross-county rival Northside, the pieces are there and expectations high. Tomorrow, the teams meet at Northside for the first half of a home-and-home conference series.

The Panthers had their fair share of struggles to open the season, lacking communication and searching for consistency from the front line. They were able to best Washington twice, but dropped a pair of crucial five-game conference matches to East Carteret and Pamlico County, two losses where Northside held the lead early before losing control down the stretch.

But since the heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes on Sept. 9, Northside has found its stride, winning the last three matches and dropping just one game over that stretch. Again Jones Senior, a 3-0 win, the recurrent issues that have plagued the Panthers appeared, but on a less frequent basis. The Trojans were one point away from capturing the third game, but the host remained poised and fought back to secure a two-point win.

“I could see it in their eyes that they weren’t going to lose that game,” said head coach Kayla Maddox, referring to the final game. “And that’s what a coach wants to see, that determination in her players. That was very encouraging.

“We’ve calmed down a little bit in the last couple of matches. It helps that we’re not playing the opponents that carry the emotional weight that Pamlico or East Carteret do, so now we’ve kind of found our groove a little bit. I think that’ll help us when we see those powerhouse teams later on.”

After beginning the season 3-4, including a 3-2 conference win over Bear Grass, the Seahawks have found themselves in a bit of a downwards slide over the last two weeks. Symone Ruffin and Taylor Langley have been two constants over the stretch and have recorded most of the team’s kills, but the defense has been suspect of late.

Again Lejeune, Southside saw a 2-1 lead slip away in the fourth game with a disheartening 25-9 blowout. Head coach Rosalyn Grimes continues to search for that same consistency Northside lacked earlier in the season.

Tomorrow’s match marks the halfway point in Coastal Plains Conference play. A win keeps playoffs hopes alive for the Seahawks, while a victory for the Panthers sets the stage for critical rematches against East Carteret and rival Pamlico County.

“Finding a rhythm, some system where I’m not trying to figure out what I need to do different is what we’re looking for,” Maddox said. “We have to get to a point where everything just clicks, but we’re getting there and finding ourselves.”

Tomorrow’s match tips off 20 minutes after jayvee at approximately 5:45 p.m.