Lady Flyers Split Marathon Season Opening Double Match Against Cleveland CC

The Sandhills and Cleveland Community College volleyball teams slugged it out for almost five hours in a double match that began at 3 p.m. on Thursday at The Hangar.

Ranked No. 8 in this week's NJCAA Division III preseason poll, the Lady Flyers came from behind to prevail 27-25, 11-25, 15-25, 27-25 and 15-12 in the their season opener.  In the second match it was the Yeti's from Shelby, NC coming from behind to hand Coach Alicia Riggan's squad a 25-14, 12-25, 25-21, 21-25 and 12-15 loss.

The Lady Flyers had only about 12 hours to rest up before boarding the bus for a tri-match in Thomasville on Saturday.  They face host Davidson-Davie CC at 11 a.m. followed by a match against USC Sumter at 1 p.m.  The matches are the season openers for both the Storm and the Fire Ants who meet each other in the day's final match at 3 p.m.

Opening Day Filled With Long Rallies and Shifts in Momentum

Division II Cleveland CC made its NJCAA debut with a 3-1 victory at Wale Tech on Thursday.  Leading 25-24 in the fourth set at The Hangar on Friday, the Yeti's were within a point of closing out the first match before a service ace by Lady Flyer setter Sydney Garner, and a kill by outside hitter Caroline Bradford, helped force a tie-breaker set.

An emphatic finish by middle hitter Cassidy Jewett gave the home team a 5-0 lead.  Later kills by defensive specialist Alyssa Maragelis and Jewett supplied the final two points in the 15-12 victory.

The statistical leaders for the home team in the opener were Bradford with 11 kills, Jewett with six solo blocks, Garner with 22 assists, and Lainey Mullins and Maragelis with 18 and 16 digs respectively.  Also, Mullins was credited with five service aces and Garner with four.

Mullins, Garner and Maragelis combined for five service aces as the Flyers jumped out to a 9-2 advantage on the way to a one-sided win in the first set of the second match.  Later with the home team leading 2-1 in sets, it was the Yeti's this time that finished strong to gain the split.

Dajsha Fields with 10, and Jewett and Bradford with nine each, led the Flyers in kills.  Garner led in assists with 21, Mullins in digs with 20 and Garner in service aces with four.

A busy early season schedule includes home matches next week against Lenoir CC on Tuesday, a tri-match on Friday that brings in Mid-Atlantic Christian and Johnson and Wales, and a match against USC-Lancaster on Saturday.

C. Bergmann