There’s nothing like an easy win to welcome a coach back to the sidelines.
That was the case Thursday night in Columbus as New Hope High School volleyball coach Allison Woolbright came back after a two-week absence and coached the Trojans to a 25-5, 25-10, 25-8 win over the Falcons.
“I’ve been out for COVID, and today is my first game back,” Woolbright said. “Me and my two daughters, Kensley and Annie, were quarantined, although Annie played Saturday. We had a tournament up in Oxford.”
The Trojans went 3-2 in that tournament and brought a 2-1 record in other matches to Columbus, and while the outcome was never in doubt, Woolbright had positive things to say about the Falcons.
“I knew Columbus would be prepared coming in here today,” she said. “They’re probably not as strong as us, but they have really great athletes and they were executing plays a lot more than they have in the past.”
If that sounds like coachspeak, consider that almost exactly one year ago the Trojans held the Falcons to just nine points in a three-set sweep, including a rare 25-0 final set.
“I kept telling the girls all week that we’re not underestimating them,” Woolbright said. “They’re good, they’re athletic, and we’ve got to be prepared.”
New Hope certainly looked prepared. After the easy opening set, the Trojans found themselves up just 5-3 early in the second. Three consecutive kills from Madyson McBrayer, the second one of the most emphatic of the match, pushed the lead to 9-3, and after an error gave the Falcons a side out, the Trojans went on their longest run of the set.
A mix of strong New Hope serving and Columbus errors turned a 9-4 edge into a commanding 16-4 lead, and back-to-back kills from Zoe Goodman and Megan Neeb fueled a six-point run that brought the Trojans to the brink of a 2-0 lead. The Falcons fought off four set points before a return error ended the set.
The Falcons got on the board first in the third set on one of several strong blocks by senior Makayla Rieves, whose talent was well known to Woolbright.
“She’s always been really good,” Woolbright said. “I think she’s one of their really good basketball players, so she’s got the height and can jump.”
But otherwise the highlights were few for the Falcons, who had major serving problems all night while simultaneously having trouble returning serve. A 5-4 New Hope lead quickly became 18-5, and, aside from another good Rieves block, the rest of the set was all Trojans.
“I think we looked really good,” Woolbright said. “With Kensley and Annie both out, the other girls just stepped in over the last two weeks and did a great job. We have a lot of potential if we can just stay focused and continue to work hard.”
And that has Woolbright feeling pretty good about her team.
As she put it: “We’re kind of getting back in our groove.”
Softball
Starkville Academy 8, Oak Hill Academy 4
Calliope Koiva tossed a four-hitter, allowing two earned runs, as the Volunteers pulled away from the Raiders.
Sarah Sellers’ double scored Caralyne Montgomery in the bottom of the fourth to snap a 4-4 tie for Starkville Academy, which added three runs in the fifth to put away the game.
Montgomery went 3 for 4 and scored twice for the Volunteers (7-2), while Koiva and Arlee Oswalt drove in two runs apiece. Browning Hughes and Elizabeth Basel each drove in a run for Starkville Academy, with Basel getting two hits.
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