LA GRANGE --- As the Hawks exited the court Thursday wiping subtle tears from their faces, Heather Carson reminded her team the loss to inner-county rival South Lenoir did not break them.
In a heated game between the Hawks and Blue Devils, SL prevailed with a hard-fought victory. South Lenoir topped the Hawks, 3-1 (25-18, 18-25, 25-8, 25-20), handing North Lenoir (10-2, 2-1) its second loss of the season and first of Eastern Carolina 2A conference play.
The teams were tied for most of the exciting first set, which gave the rivals a primer for the rest of the match. And it all came down to executing fundamentals.
“Little things always matter,” South Lenoir coach Lisa Smith said. “We work on … everything. That’s the whole thing, we work as a team. It takes all of us and that’s the way we’re getting things done.”
After the Blue Devils (9-2, 3-0) stayed on top of the Hawks throughout the close first set, North Lenoir came back in the second to capture a lead and its only winning set.
NL setter Sydnee Hudson and outside hitter Dani Moulton switched places on a big point as Hudson got the kill to bring the Hawks into double digits in the second set. But it was hitter Mya Parks’ kill that gave the Hawks the 12-11 lead, which they only lost once in the winning set.
But North Lenoir couldn’t recover after the Blue Devils held the Hawks to eight points in Set 2.
South Lenoir’s Demeyia Adams, though having several attack errors, caused issues for the Hawks in the final set. There was no reviving the ball when she went up off one of Madison Herring’s 16 assists. Adams recorded nine kills Thursday.
“We haven’t met (North Lenoir) in a couple of years, so it was amazing” she said. “We played as a team, and playing as team is what wins games.”
The last set featured the longest rallies, taking nearly 20 minutes for North Lenoir to break into double digits, while it had an early 3-0 lead. South Lenoir trailed 20-18 deep in the fourth set, but they held off the Hawks to score seven more and win it all.
“We had our moments, (but) I don’t think we played as well as what we could have,” North Lenoir coach Heather Carson said. “I think a lot of it came down to communication, sometimes we had a lack of.”
She said the team’s passing was inconsistent, but when it was good, the hitters weren’t always able to put it away.
“We played with heart,” Carson said. “It doesn’t make or break us. We still have a more of the season left, and we’ll just get refocused again.”
Both teams continue conference play Tuesday with South Lenoir hosting Greene Central and Goldsboro visiting North Lenoir.
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.