Members of the East Bladen varsity volleyball team are, front row, from left, Tatum Allen, Mileigh Martin and Nadya Colon. Back frow, from left, Cabria Baldwin, Taylor Dowless, Audrei Nixon and Marlee Potter.
Contributed photo
ELIZABETHTOWN – The seven East Bladen varsity volleyball players had every reason to be tired Tuesday following a tough four-set loss Monday against non-conference opponent South Columbus.
Marlee Potter, Taylor Dowless, Cabria Baldwin, Mileigh Martin, Tatum Allen, Nadya Colon and Abrei Nixon weren’t about to use fatigue as an excuse.
The Eagles swept West Columbus 25-20, 25-14, 25-19 in a Carolina Conference match on Patty Evers Court after recognizing seniors Baldwin, Martin and Nixon prior to the start.
“They were really tired, but they persevered,” East Bladen coach Jordan Raynor said. “We were able to get it done in three sets so I’m very proud of how hard they hustled.”
With only one player on the East Bladen bench at any given time, there may be little time to rest, but also there’s no complaints about lack of playing time.
“That’s one way to look at it,” Raynor said. “I have no subs. There’s nobody that can get tired or hurt. I’m not sure how they do it, but I’m glad that we got it done.”
The win broke a tie for fourth place with the Vikings and improved East Bladen to 4-13 overall, 4-5 in the Carolina Conference with three matches remaining in the regular season, including a final home match Oct. 7 against Lakewood.
Nixon had eight kills, Allen served 13 points and Martin served 12 points along with a team-high seven digs to lead East Bladen
The Eagles controlled play for much of the first two sets, but had to battle in the third set, breaking out from a 15-all tie to score 10 of the final 14 points to seal the win.
Eight consecutive service points by Martin, which featured a kill and block by Nixon and a kill by Dowless, allowed the Eagles to jump to a 10-2 lead in the first set. West Columbus (3-10, 3-6 Carolina) trimmed it to 18-16 late in the set and 22-20 near the end before East Bladen scored the final three points.
In the second set, Allen served the first 10 points for the Eagles. East Bladen increased its lead to 13-1 and the Vikings never got closer than eight.
The teams played on even terms through much of the third set before the Eagles pulled away down the stretch.
Martin and Nixon played volleyball for four years while Baldwin played the past two seasons for East Bladen.
“I feel like (the seniors) really have tried to step up and be leaders and play their part on the court,” Raynor said. “They’ve been sharing their time and serving. Two of my seniors are middles and the other is libero. They’ve been doing a good job with that.”
East Bladen statistics: Potter (2 kills, five digs, service point), Dowless (5 kills, 5 digs, 5 service points), Baldwin (2 kills, 2 service points), Martin (7 digs, 12 service points), Allen (3 digs, 13 service points), Colon (6 digs, 6 service points), Nixon (8 kills, 3 blocks, 5 service points).
JV: East Bladen 2, West Columbus 0
The Eagles coasted to a 25-12, 25-12 triumph.
Tenley Dowless had six kills, two service aces and four assists for East Bladen (13-3, 7-1 Carolina) and Bella Beard had five service aces and two kills.
Also on the East Bladen scoresheet were Harlie Shaw (ace, kill), Maylin McMichael (ace), Julia Flowers (2 aces, 3 kills), Gracey Edwards (3 kills), Chloe Merritt (4 assists, dig).
Sonny Jones can be reached at [email protected].