The Eads Lady Eagles volleyball team experienced both sides of a straight-set decision this past week, dominating South Baca on the road Tuesday before returning home Thursday and running into an impressive young Cheraw team in their High Plains League opener.
Eads swept South Baca, 25-15, 25-16 and 25-16, to improve to 3-2 before Cheraw answered two nights later with a 25-19, 25-19 and 25-20 sweep of the Eagles.
The split leaves Eads sitting at 3-3 as the purple and gold prepares for another challenging matchup against nearby Wiley.
Eads 3, South Baca 0
Eads was in control from the opening serve Tuesday night at South Baca, using a balanced offensive attack and an outstanding night from the service line to make quick work of the Lady Patriots.
The Eagles held a considerable advantage at the net, pounding down 34 kills compared to just 16 for South Baca. But it was from behind the service line where Eads really did its damage.
The Lady Eagles dropped in 14 ace serves while serving at a 92 percent efficiency rate. South Baca managed just four aces and finished at 83.7 percent.
Sophomore middle hitter Emma Wollert turned in an outstanding all-around performance and led a balanced Eads offense with 11 kills.
Junior Jordynn Turcotte added eight kills, while senior Bailey Sierra and junior Aspen Nelson each finished with seven. Having four different hitters capable of producing throughout the lineup kept South Baca from focusing its defense on any one Eads attacker.
Nelson and Turcotte continued to share the responsibility of running the Eagle offense, with Nelson distributing 15 assists and Turcotte adding eight.
Sophomore Aubrey Mitchek provided the biggest punch from the service line, dropping in five aces. Turcotte added four aces, Wollert had two, and Sierra, Nelson and junior right-side hitter Peyton Eder each contributed one.
Eads was also solid defensively.
Wollert led the Eagles with 23 digs, while Eder added 16 and Sierra and Nelson each finished with 14.
Wollert was nearly perfect in serve receive, successfully handling all 12 balls sent her direction without an error. Sierra was also steady in the back row, committing just one error in 14 serve-receive opportunities.
South Baca’s offense was largely generated by senior Sarah Elmore, a four-year starter who accounted for nine of the Patriots’ 16 kills while adding three blocks.
The convincing road victory sent Eads home with some momentum and a 3-2 record. But waiting for the Eagles two nights later was a much different challenge in the undefeated Cheraw Wolverines.
Cheraw 3, Eads 0
The Wolverines came to Eads Thursday night, Sept. 3 with a very young lineup, but one that showed plenty of firepower.
Cheraw remained undefeated at 3-0 after sweeping Eads, although the Eagles stayed within striking distance throughout all three sets.
The difference was primarily Cheraw’s ability to generate offense at the net and from the service line.
The Wolverines out-hit Eads 36 kills to 24 and were also more efficient with their opportunities, finishing with a 28.6 percent hitting accuracy compared to 23.1 percent for the Eagles.
Both teams served at an impressive 93 percent accuracy clip, but Cheraw did considerably more damage with those serves, finishing with 12 aces compared to seven for Eads.
Much of the Wolverine attack came from just two players, and both are only sophomores.
Outside hitters Tinley Leake and Bristyl Barrett combined for an impressive 28 of Cheraw’s 36 kills. Leake led all hitters with 15 kills and added four ace serves, while Barrett pounded down 13 kills and contributed three aces.
The young talent didn’t stop there.
Freshman setter Raimy Sisson directed the Cheraw attack with 22 assists while also becoming an offensive threat herself with five kills. The Wolverines finished with 33 assists and four blocks as a team.
Eads again relied on its balanced four-player attack.
Sierra and Turcotte led the Eagles with seven kills apiece, Nelson added six and Wollert contributed four.
Nelson and Turcotte continued in their dual setting roles, with Nelson finishing with 10 assists and Turcotte adding nine. Eads totaled 21 assists in the match.
Turcotte also led the Eagles from the service line with three aces, while Nelson added two.
But the most impressive number of the night for Eads came on defense.
The Eagles dug up an amazing 113 balls in just three sets, demonstrating both how hard Cheraw was attacking and how determined the Eads defense was to keep points alive.
Wollert again provided a strong all-around defensive performance, finishing with 24 digs and two blocks.
Eads also received some important role play from Mitchek and Eder. Mitchek contributed an ace and 18 digs, while Eder added an ace and 17 digs.
The Eagles totaled three blocks along with their 113 digs.
But unlike Tuesday night against South Baca, when Eads was able to turn its defensive work into consistent offensive pressure, the Eagles struggled to finish enough of those long rallies against Cheraw.
Leake and Barrett continued to apply pressure from the outside, while Sisson effectively distributed the ball, giving Cheraw enough offensive firepower to gain separation at critical moments.
Still, the Wolverines never ran away from Eads.
Cheraw won each of the first two sets by identical 25-19 scores. The Eagles continued to battle in the third before the Wolverines finally put the match away, 25-20.
The loss leaves Eads at 3-3 after an early-season schedule that has given the Lady Eagles plenty of opportunities to identify both their strengths and areas needing improvement.
One thing becoming increasingly evident is the balance within the Eads lineup. Sierra, Turcotte, Nelson and Wollert have all proven capable of putting balls away at the net, while Nelson and Turcotte provide the Eagles with two players capable of distributing the offense. Meanwhile, players such as Mitchek and Eder have provided valuable contributions in serving, serve receive and defense.
The Eagles will need all of that balance as they turn their attention to another nearby opponent in Wiley.
The Panthers enter the non-league matchup with a strong 6-3 record and are coming off a 2-0 victory over Kim/Branson.
For Eads, the Wiley contest provides another opportunity to put the pieces together as the 3-3 Eagles continue working their way through a challenging early-season schedule.
