Flyers Roll Past Titians in Season Opener

The #14-ranked Sandhills Community College Flyers (1-0) opened their 2024 season with a dominant 3-0 win over the Guilford Technical Community College Titans (0-1) Thursday night in front of an energized home crowd inside Heins Gymnasium on the Sandhills campus. The Flyers took control of the match with scores of 25-14, 25-8, and 25-11.

"I mean, our first home game, great atmosphere in here. Felt like we kinda started out shaky. It was first-game jitters where it really starts to count, so we were trying different things. I felt like the girls finally got into a groove in the second set," said Flyers head coach Alicia Riggan. "It's an opportunity to get everybody in, and I felt like that was a win. But I'm really excited and proud of these girls for the effort they gave, especially in front of an awesome student section."

The Flyers had a shaky start in the first set, trading points with the Titans until they edged ahead 8-7. Sandhills then capitalized on a series of Titan errors and strong kills, pulling ahead 14-9 before closing out the set for a 1-0 lead.

In the second set, the Flyers shifted into high gear, scoring first quickly building a 4-0 lead. Sandhills maintained their momentum throughout, holding the Titans to just eight points and cruising to a 2-0 lead.

"I think we got the first-game jitters out of our system and kinda relaxed, playing the game we've been practicing," said Riggan. "We reminded ourselves that this is our gym, our court, and we just needed to execute what we've worked on in practice."

Despite a competitive start to the third set, with the Flyers narrowly leading 7-6, they responded with a 6-0 run to pull ahead 15-6. From there, they allowed just five more points to secure the final set and claim the match.

"This team's got a lot of versatility, and we can play people in different positions. It's awesome to see the growth every time," added Riggan. "But it's important that we don't lose momentum from that 2-0 start in the first and second sets."

Kristin Dodds led the Flyers offensively with 11 kills, while Caroline Bradford contributed nine kills and Katelyn Bunting added five. Sydney Garner and Mariana Clayton dished out 12 assists apiece, and Zoey Hall chipped in nine more.

"Just the bonding and communication—we really had a good bond, even when we were down a little bit," said Dodds. "We told each other to pick each other up, and we started to gain momentum and play better throughout the game. You just can't get in your head—you've got to push through, even if the other team looks intimidating. We've just got to play our game."

Defensively, Nikki Lambert and Lainey Mullins provided solid support with seven digs each, while Jacque Holden, Bradford, and Garner each added four digs. At the net, Bunting and Cassidy Jewett combined for five total blocks.

The Flyers now turn their focus to the Flyers Invitational, beginning Friday at 12 p.m. when they face Johnson & Wales University from Charlotte, NC. Later in the day, they will take on USC Sumter at 4 p.m.

"We're going to be playing tough competition for the next two weeks, so we're just looking at one game at a time and focusing on getting better," said Riggan.

Z. Ciboth