BALANCED ATTACK HELPS ASHLEY VOLLEYBALL TAKE OVER FIRST IN MEC

Larry Salefsky and his Ashley volleyball team are going to be sad to see the calendar change at the end of the week. That’s because they haven’t lost a match in September. In fact, Tuesday’s 25-12, 25-18, 21-25, 25-13 victory over New Hanover was the 10th consecutive for the now-Mideastern Conference leading Screaming Eagles. “They’ve done a good job of coming in every day and working extremely hard,” said Salefsky. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, every practice is like we’re playing for a conference championship. “I’m happy for them because they’ve put in a ton of work in the weight room, on the court and conditioning. It’s nice to see it pay off.” The first meeting between the county rivals was one-sided in favor of the Wildcats. That defeat on Aug. 29 was the Screaming Eagles’ third in a row and put them at 3-3 on the season. Ashley (13-3, 8-1) swept Hoggard two days later and they haven’t looked back since, dropping only five sets during the winning streak. “We were so excited about this game,” junior libero Kaitlyn Brannin said. “We got in the locker room and listened to some music and got really hype. I think it made a difference when we came out to the court.” Six different players registered a kill in the opening set that was capped by Katherine Boudreau’s smash. The home team never trailed in the second set, using a 7-3 run to build an 18-13 lead. New Hanover (11-5, 7-2) gave Ashley 11 points on errors. Errors from the Screaming Eagles cost them the sweep, but a quick 6-1 start to the fourth set got them back on track. Senior middle blocker Taylor Long put down six of her team-high 12 kills in the final set, including the final point. “I think we went into the first match with them with our heads a little too high and we talked about it and discussed everything we needed to do,” Long said. “Tonight, it was really important to start off strong and with high energy.” Fellow middle blocker Emily Crescenzi added four kills and six blocks. Julianna Askew finished with eight kills and 20 assists, while Boudreau and Trinity Rosales each added seven kills. “We got in a funk when we played them the first time of playing a lot of balls through out outsides,” Salefsky said. “We knew coming in if we could be balanced we had a real shot. Our setters did a great job.” The Screaming Eagles now hold a one-game advantage over New Hanover and Laney in the league standings with five matches to play.

BALANCED ATTACK HELPS ASHLEY VOLLEYBALL TAKE OVER FIRST IN MEC

Photo Credit: Ashley Athletics

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