NEW HOPE — There isn’t always a lot to take away from a one-sided game, but what was evident at New Hope High School on Tuesday night was the cohesion within the home team, and a determination to start the playoffs with purpose.
In the middle of the second set, the Trojans went on an eight-point run that symbolized their teamwork on the night. They went from a 9-4 lead to a 17-4 lead in the blink of an eye, with the 17th point especially emblematic of a team locked in. Madyson McBrayer and Kensley Woolbright both dove to save the play, with Woolbright getting the dig, and the play was finished off by Amari Prude setting up Megan Neeb for a vicious spike.
“We had to keep focus,” McBrayer said after the win. “We knew if we win this, we get to play again. It’s win or go home, and our mentality tonight was if we don’t play our best it’s over. We have to play our best, and I think we did.”
The Trojans (19-8) won in straight sets, with scores of 25-16, 25-13 and 25-20.
“We got the win, it wasn’t all pretty even though we did it in three,” Trojans head coach Allison Woolbright said in her assessment of the performance. “We executed a lot of hits well, but we also saw that we have a lot of work to do as we move forward to Thursday night, and hopefully later on, but working together, being good teammates, and everybody getting that mentality that they’ve got a job to do and executing what their job and what their role is.”
Woolbright has overseen a positive transformation of the New Hope volleyball program in her time as head coach and won’t be satisfied with simply making the playoffs and winning a couple games. She was however impressed with the effort of her players on the night, especially the seniors and team leaders who kept the Trojans organized and focused in their dominant Tuesday night outing, reflecting what she wants to see from the team as they strive to add another successful chapter to the program.
At practice Sunday, Woolbright told her players that they have to be humble and grateful, and they can’t go into the game or the playoffs feeling like they were entitled to success.
The performance Tuesday certainly indicates that the message was received. Kensley Woolbright, a senior, was one of the leaders buying into that message and was constantly getting her teammates pumped or organized.
“I’ve been on this team since my seventh-grade year, so this team is really special to me,” she said, expressing her pride in the team. “This program and what it represents, being able to wear ‘Lady Trojans’ on my chest with these girls really means a lot, and I value that. I want to make sure that every opportunity I have I pump up these girls and get us locked in before every game. Regular season, playoff game, whatever the situation is, we have a goal and a mission, and we have to stay focused throughout that.”
Woolbright also echoed the sentiment of her mother in expressing what the continued success of the program means to her and the team. As an underclassman on the team in their last trip to the state Final Four, she wants to reach those heights again in her last run with the team and have another banner year for the program.
“It means the world,” she said. “This program hasn’t always been too hot, and a lot of people still underestimate us, and I feel like we’re overlooked a little. So having our name on a plaque or banner on the wall for Trojans volleyball means the world, and shows to us and future generations that we can do it, and it would be so special to have that to look back on.”
In the next round, the Trojans will host Lafayette at 6 p.m. Thursday. The Commodores beat Ridgeland in straight sets on Tuesday night and already have a win over the Trojans this year.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.