VikingsBeatSpartans

** BURGER KING CLASSIC: VIKINGS BEAT SPARTANS **


 * Northern Vance set the tone after winning a wild opening stanza and held on for a four-set win over Kerr-Vance Saturday in the volleyball championship of the Burger King Classic.

The Vikings jumped out to a quick lead, but the Spartans fought back several times in the first set. The Spartans tied it at 24 and 26 before Northern pulled out the 28-26 win.

Set 2 belonged to the Vikings, who won it handily 25-9. KVA rebounded with a 25-12 win in the third, but Northern closed out the match by taking the final frame 25-13.

“My starting six are going to be the dominant six on the court, so I was very proud of them that... stepped up and got their job done when they needed to get it done,” said Northern coach April Abbott.

After the Vikings opened with a 4-0 run, Jesse Edwards put KVA on the board with a kill. A Morgan Oettinger spike fell in to bring the Spartans within two at 8-6.

A 7-1 Viking rally included two Hannah Thompson kills and gave Northern a cushion, but it would not hold. A block from Edwards pulled the Spartans within two and forced Abbott to call a timeout.

Northern was at match point, 24-19, when KVA began to rally again. At 24-23, the teams traded several volleys before a Kaylin Owen spike into the net tied it for KVA.

A Thompson kill made it 25-24 Vikes, but the next Northern serve was too long, tying it once more. KVA took the lead on the next point, but was called for a net violation on the next volley.

A Lauren Abbott kill made it 27-26 Northern, and a KVA spike sailed out of bounds for the final Viking point.

“I don’t know if they came in and they were too confident that they were going to win. They just kind of took it lightly, and then maybe Kerr-Vance stepped up to the plate after the first couple of points and kind of shut them up a little bit,” said Abbott. “They knew that they were going to have some competition if they didn’t decide to bring their A-game today, and then luckily by the end of that match, they figured it out, and at the start of the second match, they had it.”

A 9-3 Vikings run, which included a Rebekah Edwards kill and a Lauren Abbott ace, opened the second set. The lead grew to 15-5 and KVA never got closer than 10.

KVA coach Paul Ross said he didn’t feel at first that the opening set loss affected his team’s morale.

“I didn’t get that impression in the huddle because in the huddle, they were real positive,” he said. “They knew they spotted them and they had several unforced errors but still almost won the game. The way they were talking in the huddle, they were pretty confident they could beat Northern — and something happened in between.”

Kerr-Vance took a 4-3 lead in the third and didn’t look back. An untouched ace from Oettinger made it 14-6, and the lead grew to double digits at 18-8.

Kills from Edwards and Megan Burrows extended the lead, and a Burrows block made it 24-12 before the Spartans won match point on the next exchange.

“I tried to let my subs get some court time, hoping that they would be able to pick it up and bring it out like they did (in Friday’s win over Franklin Academy), but it didn’t work today,” said Abbott.

The momentum swung back to Northern again the fourth. KVA led early 3-2, but a Rebekah Edwards kill tied it, and the Vikings held the lead the rest of the way. An Edwards ace and a Rebecca Esquivel kill contributed to a 7-0 run. Two Thompson kills down the stretch helped close out the 12-point set win.

“We gave them a little lead, we came back, we stood toe-to-toe with them,” said Ross. “Unforced errors is what hurt us. We had serves out of bounds — you just can’t serve the ball out of bounds. We had easy roll shots — where you know you’re not going to get a big swing so you’ll just put something in play to try to make it a little difficult for them — and they’re way out of bounds.”

“Just unforced errors, you just can’t do that against a team that passes that well.”

KVA was led by Jesse Edwards (seven kills, five blocks, one ace), Lori Bradsher (five kills, six digs), Emily Adkins (four kills, five blocks), Anna Macon Wemyss (17 assists), Morgan Lloyd (16 digs) and Burrows (three blocks, one ace).

Ross’ squad fell to 7-4 with the loss. The Spartans are 1-1 in Eastern Plains Independent Conference play. They face North Raleigh Christian on the road Tuesday.

Ross feels that, at this point in the season, his team still has a few areas to improve.

“I think we can play better than we have. I’m still looking for some girls to step up in a couple positions and really show that they deserve playing time or to be the starter,” he said.

“I think we have chances, will we execute and get the job done? We’ll see.”

Northern improved to 6-3 with the win. Contributing statistically for the Vikes were Thompson (14 kills, 15 digs, two aces), Lauren Abbott (two kills, one block, two aces), Owen (six kills) and Rebekah Edwards (five kills, two aces).

“Obviously my starting six is what worked today, and probably is what’s going to work the rest of the season,” said Abbott. “They’re meshing well on the court, they’re getting the job done and they’re not letting much stuff hit the floor on their side without them busting their tails to get to the ball.”

Saturday was the last non-conference warm-up for Northern. The Vikings begin Carolina 3A play Tuesday when they will host Orange.

“I feel confident that we’re going to compete with Orange County. I don’t feel like they’re going to come in and blow us out by any means,” Abbott said.

“They’re going to hold their own and do what they have to do on the court.”

Northern advanced to Saturday’s championship after their Friday sweep of Franklin Academy. KVA topped Franklinton in four sets (25-2, 20-25, 25-15, 25-17) Friday.

In that match, the Spartans were led by Burrows (15 kills, three blocks), Jesse Edwards (12 kills, six aces, two digs), Wemyss (26 assists, two aces, three kills, six digs), Bradsher (three aces, nine kills, four digs) and Oettinger (nine kills).

Contact the writer at erobinson@hendersondispatch.com. **