During a timeout in the third set of Tuesday’s match at Columbus High School, New Hope volleyball coach Allison Woolbright had a question for sophomore libero Kensley Woolbright: Was it time to come out?
With New Hope up two sets to none and the Trojans yet to give up a point in the third set, it was a fair question, as coach Woolbright hoped to rotate in some of her junior varsity players to get them experience playing in a varsity match.
But Kensley, who had yet to give up her serve all set, decided she’d rather stay behind the service line rather than head to the bench.
“Well,” coach Woolbright told her, “just go for it.”
Kensley did, returning to the court and serving out the third set without losing a single point.
It was a fittingly emphatic way for the Trojans (2-0) to close out Tuesday’s quick sweep of the district rival Falcons. Set scores were 25-5, 25-4 and 25-0.
“We feel like we’re on top of the world right now,” New Hope senior Micaela Hudgins said. “We just want to keep rocking and rolling.”
Hudgins said Tuesday’s match was an opportunity for the Trojans to work on their aggressive hits and some of their more intricate plays, which New Hope practiced a lot in the third set. Coach Woolbright said she knew that even if the Trojans dropped the set, they’d have two more to make up for it and still win the match.
New Hope, of course, was far from that. In their perfect third set, several of Kensley Woolbright’s serves dropped between Columbus defenders; others were bumped backwards or sideways and out of play. Woolbright finished the match with a team-leading 17 aces and three digs.
But despite the Falcons’ struggles, coach Woolbright said her team took Columbus seriously and praised its strength keeping the ball alive.
“They have a lot of very great athletes, and we knew that they would be very good at getting the ball back over,” Woolbright said. “They have a lot of great blockers.”
Her team got to try out some new blockers of its own later on, incorporating several JV players into the mix — important with a varsity roster that is only nine deep, she said.
“If something happens to one of them, those players have to be ready to fill these spots,” coach Woolbright said. “So anytime I can get them some extra playing time and get them on the court, I want to do that. Tonight was a good opportunity to do that.”
When sophomore middle blocker Hayslie Elmore joined the fray and landed a kill to push the score to 22-0 in the third set, New Hope players cheered her heartily from the floor and the bench.
“I love her,” Hudgins said. “I’ve built up the middles, and to see them playing at the varsity level is awesome for me.”
Hudgins and Daylyn Nettles, both seniors, led New Hope with six kills apiece. Freshman setter Annie Woolbright led with 12 assists.
New Hope will play its first home game of the season at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against Choctaw County.
“They’re usually good competition,” coach Woolbright said. “That’s why we keep them on our schedule.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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