Goldsboro swept James Kenan for the second straight night to remain undefeated.
After sweeping the Tigers 25-16, 25-17, 25-11 on Monday, the Cougars swept James Kenan 25-16, 25-23, 25-12 on Tuesday to improve to 4-0 overall.
“We saw some really good flashes, and we’re 4-0, but we could be better,” Goldsboro head coach TJ Lancaster said. “We hold ourselves accountable to be better next time because we have a high ceiling, and we want to reach that high ceiling.”
The dynamic Cougar squad led throughout the opening set as Hallie Brown and Haley Phillips established themselves along the front line.
Late in the first set, back-to-back kills from Brown and Phillips gave the Cougars an 18-8 lead. The Tigers cut Goldsboro’s lead down to 20-15, but the Cougars used a 5-0 run to win the first set.
“We harp on it all the time. It’s serve receive and defense because when we get that, we can run stuff,” Lancaster said. “We have fast-paced offense, and we have a lot of hitters, so we can do that, but it’s a first contact game.”
Goldsboro started strong early in the second set, but the Tigers were not going down without a fight.
A kill from Dantzler Bonner and an ace from Brianna Moye allowed the Cougars to grab a 14-6 lead.
However, the Cougars lost their rhythm when the Tigers used a 17-8 run to take a 23-22 lead. Fortunately, the Cougars found their rhythm again and managed to win the second set 25-23.
“In set two, the serve receiving was not there for us, and that’s what really kept James Kenan in it,” Lancaster said. “We couldn’t really get into a good flow, so that was the difference there.”
The third set started as a back and forth affair, but with the score tied 5-5, the Cougars used a 10-2 run to take a 15-7 lead and forced James Kenan to call a timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, the Cougars took care of business thanks to a 10-5 run that led to a 25-12 advantage and completed the Cougars’ victory.
After the game, Lancaster said he was thankful for getting the win but was more thankful that the Cougars are getting a chance to play at all this season.
“I’m thankful for them, and you don’t coach for any other reason but the girls,” Lancaster said. “You’re thankful that they can have a season, so I’m thankful to have that.”
Goldsboro next travels to Clinton (4-0) on Tuesday.
