Lady Knights sweep volleyball match
The Evans Lady Knights volleyball team has a pair of giants.
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Evans' Katherine Hilson returns the ball during a match against Harlem High School on Thursday at Evans High School.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
The term is an endearing one for volleyball players, and the Knights feature two 6-foot-tall players at the net.
Lauren Middleton and Aidan Yeager showed the power of their front line in a four-team match last Thursday at Evans.
The Knights defended their home turf, sweeping three matches against Harlem, Hephzibah and Cross Creek. The Knights played so well that they didn't even drop a game.
"We played as good as we could," said head coach CeCe Armstrong. "We are playing even better than I thought we would."
The Knights went virtually untested throughout the evening, with the Razorbacks providing the only serious challenge.
"We knew Evans was the class of tonight's competition," said Cross Creek head coach Dana Bull. "We played great but they were a little better than us tonight."
Evans and Cross Creek squared off in the night's final match. The matchup was highlighted by a duel at the net between Yeager and RaShay Rawls of Cross Creek, both 6-footers.
The two traded kills and blocks throughout the two games. Rawls got the better of the sophomore, collecting five blocks, but ending up on the short end of a 25-18, 25-21 loss.
Evans High School's Lauren Middleton tips the ball over the net during the game. Evans won this match 25-12.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
The Razorbacks looked as if they might extend the match to a third game after jumping out to a 15-9 lead in the second game.
Evans sophomores Katie Roon and Katherine Hilson changed that with four aces. The rest of the Knights took control after that.
"I thought we struggled a little with serves," Armstrong said. "That was the weakest part of our game, and it was exposed in a loss to Greenbrier. We battled back and played better but we can still improve."
The Knights previously dispatched Harlem (25-20, 25-12) on a combined 10 aces by Roon and Dallas Tranum. Evans knocked off Hephzibah (25-6, 25-19).
Despite Evans winning all three games, Cross Creek came away with a win.
The Razorbacks collected region wins against Hephzibah (25-15, 17-25, 25-15) and Harlem (25-15, 25-20). Cross Creek also gained valuable experience by playing a Class-AAAA team.
"Winning the region contests was the most important thing," Bull said. "That was our goal. Playing a tough game against Evans was a bonus. They might be as good as any team in our region."