Pine recorded over a third of its points from aces in a 25-8, 25-5, 25-14 victory over Varnado in a match that took place Monday evening at VHS.
Pine recorded 26 aces for the match.
“We did a pretty good job on serving,” Pine coach Tammy Voth said. “That’s one thing we’ve been working is getting the ball over the net — the less points you give them, the better off you are. They did well. We’re still not as consistent as I want to be, but that’s something that we’re working on for those tough games is consistency and we’re going to get it. We’ve got a young team.”
Pine began the match with the first eight points of the opening game with Allison Gunckel posting four aces during the run. She had seven for the game and 11 in the match.
The Lady Raiders made it 11-2, but Varnado trimmed it to 11-3 on a point by Jamonica Dillon.
Pine went up 20-8 and capped off the game with the final five points, as Gunckel had aces on the last three points, with the final ace hitting the top of the net and going over in the 25-8 win.
Varnado hung in early on during the final two games, but Pine made a big run in the second game and kind of chipped away in the final contest to pull away.
Pine led the second game, 4-3, but then scored 11 unanswered points to take a 15-3 lead.
Once again, serving played a key role.
Erin Kennedy was serving during the run and posted eight aces.
After taking the 15-3 lead, Varnado pulled to within 11 at 15-4, but Pine tallied eight straight to go up 20.
Like the second game, Pine went up 4-3 at the outset and extended the lead to 8-5
The Lady Raiders started chipping away on their way to 25.
Pine tallied two straight before Varnado posted a point for a 10-6 game.
After splitting the next two points, Pine put up two straight and then Varnado made it 12-7.
Pine extended the lead to 16-10, and again, scored two of the next three points and had an 18-11 lead.
The Lady Raiders continued to work their way to 25 and went on to capture a 25-14 victory to win in three games.
Varnado coach Kelly Gifford said she is extremely proud of her team.
“I was very pleased with the girls,” Gifford said. “They played very well tonight. Pine played really well also and allowed our girls to get some more game time experience. Our girls were communicating, hustling and motivating one another out on the court, which is one of the best things a team can do. They are improving everyday at practice. We are all very happy with the way we played tonight.”
Pine is competing in the Pearl River Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Times of other games the rest of the day will be determined by how they do in those two contests.
Varnado’s next match is Tuesday, Oct. 2, against Ecole Classique on the road.