Lady ‘Canes overcome slow start, down Cherokee in straight sets

Slow starts have been a problem for the Lady ‘Canes according to head coach Holly Drinnon. “We have had some problems with our serving and that is why I want us to receive but we are not taking advantage of that opportunity. That is one of the things we are really working on. We are very young and are trying to work on that.”

One of the major factors for the Lady Hurricanes’ ability to bounce back was the play of freshman Finley Surber. She seemed to be everywhere on the court as she recorded five kills, three service aces and two digs.

“She is just a freshman but she is one of those kids who sees it and knows the game,” Drinnon said of her emerging star player. “With more experience, she will be able to play outside and do a lot of things. Finley is very aggressive for a freshman and does a great job for us. She has a lot of confidence in her abilities and that shows in the way she plays. We are trying some different things so she didn’t play in that last game but she is a great help to us and does a great job.”

Cherokee quickly went up in game one 3-0 but East chipped back into and took their first lead on a kill by Sarah Jones. The game remained close as the two teams remained within two points of one another until Jones gave East some breathing room with a service ace to make it 18-13. That was the spark the home team needed as they went on to a 25-15 win.

After falling behind again in the second game of the match, East turned to Surber who had three kills in a stretch where the Lady ‘Canes scored 13 straight points at one point to build a 13-3 advantage. The big run built the momentum East had to have as they cruised to a 25-10 win in the second game.

Cherokee once more scored the first three points of a game but the Canes had an answer once more as well as they built a 14-4 lead on a kill by Jules Lawson. The lead later ballooned back to 10 at 17-7 on a kill by Jones. East had game and match point several times but the Lady Chiefs were able to hang on a little longer as they scored four points in a row. They could get no closer, however, as East took the third game 25-14 and the match three games to none.

East improved their service against Cherokee as they had 15 aces on the night, led by Lawson’s four. Sarah Jones had six kills as did Reese Foster. Jaci Drinnon led the Lady ‘Canes with 10 digs and Randi Drinnon had nine.