The Mathews High School varsity volleyball team traveled to West Point Tuesday night and was defeated by the Lady Pointers in a very intense and close match.
The match went to five sets with scores of 19-25, 25-22, 25-27, 25-20 and 13-15. Trailing in four of the five sets, including 3-9 in the final game, Mathews left every bit of energy it had on the court. However, MHS made numerous uncharacteristic errors and West Point hustled to every ball that was hit by a Mathews player.
Jacqueline Stewart led the team in serving with six aces, followed by Anna Hudgins (three) and Hannah Rowe, Whitney Eriksen and Keely Crittenden (two each). Kai McCann had one ace.
Stewart and McCann led the team with 12 kills each, followed closely behind with Rowe’s 10. Kayla Carter had five kills while Brittany Mitchem had four. Rowe was strong in defense, scoring a team-leading 25 digs. McCann followed behind with 14, Hudgins had 13, and Stewart and Hailey Abernathy had 12 and 11, respectively. Sophie Bandurco and Crittenden each dug up 10 hits while Eriksen had seven, Mariah Robinson had four, and Brittany Mitchem had three. Bandurco and Crittenden led the team with assists with 26 and 18, respectively.
Jayvees win
The Mathews jayvee team, meanwhile, defeated West Point in straight sets, 25-19 and 25-14. With the rowdy crowd and a loud band playing throughout the game, the Blue Devils were able to push through and bring home the win.
Sabrina Barrack and Harley Haydon led the team in kills with three each, followed by Amber Jackson with two. Robin Barrack, Emily Carmine, Olivia Gwynn, Alexis Miles and Emily Sorey each had one kill. Robin Barrack and Jackson had two aces each. Lauren Mitchem picked up two digs, while Josie Bauby had one. Gwynn assisted six sets, followed closely behind with Carmine’s four.
Six seniors were scheduled to be honored before the start of last night’s home match against Middlesex. Senior Night honorees were Hannah Rowe, Jacqueline Stewart, Whitney Eriksen, Hailey Abernathy, Anna Hudgins and Kayla Carter. The varsity volleyball team will carry on play next Wednesday night for the first round of the conference tournament.