Lady Flyers Bounce Back in a Big Way
The Sandhills Community College volleyball team responded to its first loss of the season by winning the initial point of the match against Davidson County CC on Thursday and never trailing the rest of the way.
The No. 8 ranked Lady Flyers improved to 14-1 overall, and 4-0 in Region X, with a 25-19, 25-16 and 25-14 sweep before a large and enthusiastic Faculty and Staff Night crowd at Heins Gymnasium. The Storm dropped to 3-8 and 2-2.
All 14 Flyers were credited with at least one dig, and 10 logged one or more kills, in the superb team effort. Erica Groff and Brooke Sayers led the team in digs with 11 each. Morgan McCarthy was the leader in kills with six. Abby Wallace with 15, and Leah Salzwedel with 11, led the way in assists.
Coach Alicia Riggan's squad is at home again on Saturday for matches at 1 and 3 p.m. against two-time conference regular season and conference tournament champion Patrick Henry CC.
"It was super important to bounce back from Tuesday's loss," the coach said afterward. "The girls did an awesome job through warm-ups and in staying consistent through all three sets. When different people came in it wasn't like we were subbing. Everybody stepped up and did their job."
That included 6-foot-1 freshman Cayce Cleghorn who came into the second set with the Storm showing signs of making a run and helped nip any notions they had of a comeback.
"Cayce came in and had like back-to-back kills and put up a big block," Riggan said. "It's intimidating on the other side to see a big block like that. I thought she did a good job as well as the rest of the girls. I was super-impressed."
A product of Gray Stone Day School, Cleghorn felt good afterward about making the most of her opportunity in an important match.
"I always try to be ready to go," she said. "Whenever she calls my name I get a rush of adrenalin. When I went in today I knew it was my moment and I had to shine.
"I have a lot of things to improve upon, but today was definitely a step in the right direction."
In addition to the spectacle of watching two teams battle for first place in Region X, Saturday at the Hangar has been designated as Camp Day. Before the match each Flyer will be introduced along with a participant from the team's youth camp.
Patrick Henry is currently 4-5 overall and 4-0 in Region X. The Patriots have compiled a conference record of 33-1 in their two and a half years since joining Region X. The one loss was to the Flyers when the teams split their two matches in Martinsville, Va. last October. The Patriots defeated the Flyers in five sets for the Region X tournament title.
"They are undefeated in conference like we are," Riggan said. "We have a little history over the last couple of years.
"The most important thing is that we come out focused and play Flyer volleyball. It doesn't really matter who we are playing. The girls have to play every point like it's the last point and be consistent. That's what we have to see on Saturday not just in one game but both."
Flyer Notes – The Lady Flyers will not have another home date after Saturday until October 4 when they entertain Central Carolina CC. SCC staff member Tonelli Hackett stirred the crowd with a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem before the match. Faculty and staff members introduced with the Lady Flyers before the match included Allison Allred, Rosemary Barker, Barbara Danley, Ami Denton, Jonathan Garrison, Pete Golden, Joy Karcher, Cathy Kruska, Tim Nocton, Gayle Parker, Nancy Paxton, Ryan Riggan, Joe Steppe and Julie Voigt.
C. Bergmann
