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Greyhounds win volleyball title
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Published: November 8, 2009
RALEIGH
North Surry finished its volleyball season undefeated with a 3-0 sweep of Hillsborough Cedar Ridge in the 2-A state finals at Reynolds Coliseum yesterday.
The Greyhounds (33-0) built early leads in each of the three games and then held off the Red Wolves' comeback attempts, winning 25-13, 25-21, 25-17.
"Our starts were the key," said Coach Shane Slate of North Surry. "We got the lead early and then we could build off it."
For Cedar Ridge (25-5), slow starts have been normal, but there was no rally against North Surry.
"We start slow and then fight back," said Coach Charlie Oakley of the Red Wolves. "We dug ourselves too big a hole in each game."
The three games played out pretty much the same. North Surry quickly built a four or five point advantage in each game and then staved off any comeback attempts by Cedar Ridge.
"We settled down and did what we needed to do," said senior Courtney Campbell of North Surry. "We worked well as a group."
Oakley used multiple timeouts in each game in an attempt to break North Surry's momentum, but the tactic didn't work.
"They were able to take us out of our offense," Oakley said. "We never got into a rhythm."
Part of that was because North Surry almost never let the ball hit the floor. The Greyhounds got to almost every free ball and were able to send it back across the net.
North Surry's coach credited his team's chemistry for the ability to react so well.
"We had a lot of different players contribute," Slate said. "We did a good job of getting into positions where we could get to balls. This group has played together a lot and the chemistry they have together is great."
Campbell led North Surry with 18 kills and was named the championship-match MVP. Morgan Bunker added 13 kills.
LeeAnne Maultsby, who led Cedar Ridge with six kills, 14 digs and seven blocks, said North Surry's tenacity eventually led to frustration for her team.
"We were hitting them and no matter how hard we hit it they'd send it back to us," Maultsby said. "Then when we tried to hit the holes, they'd get it back, too."
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