By Adanya Day
Bump. Set. Spike. It’s what the 25 members of the William Peace volleyball team do best. With a 6-2 conference record and 11 more games to play in the season, the team is battling on the court to add to that impressive record.
On Sept. 26, the Pacers faced down in a rivalry match against the Meredith Avenging Angels (11-6 overall, 5-2 conference), notching a win on our home turf. The energy and tension was palpable in the air of the Hermann gym. All the fans that attended could feel it but not nearly as much as the Peace volleyball team, who were there to defend their 4-0 conference record.
The game started off easy enough in the first set, with Peace taking the first three points. But it wasn’t long until the Avenging Angels began to go blow for blow, block for block, against the Pacers. For the first few points of the first set, the game was a constant back and forth until the score became 7-6 Peace. From that point onward, the Pacers would overtake Meredith ending the first set 25-18.
The second set began in the same vein as the first, with the Pacers gaining the first three points of the set, starting off with a successful block from juniors Chassie Jacobs and Georgia Grace. Throughout the entirety of this set, the Pacers would lead with a 2-3 point deficit. This set would end in a Pacer victory of 25-19 with a kill from Georgia Grace.
With one set to go, the Avenging Angels had to make a move if they wanted to survive. The third began with the Pacers leading 1-0, but that quickly changed as Meredith was quick to match the energy, tying the game up 1-1 and setting the tone for this set. They weren’t going down without a fight; after all, they aren’t called the Avenging Angels for nothing.
The entirety of this set was a cage match with both teams going point for point, with no point deficit greater than one. For the first time in all three sets played, Meredith would overtake Peace 13-11. But paradise does not last forever, as the Pacers were quick to get back on their feet and flip the script, going up 17-13 in a matter of minutes. This set ends just as the two prior in a Pacer victory. Wings Down. The Peace volleyball team secured their undefeated conference record going up 5-0 in conference.
Following this game, the Peace volleyball team would become the only undefeated team within the USA South conference.
Ashley Wyrick, a sophomore and outside hitter, welcomed the challenge of maintaining their position over the competition.
“I think as a team in all realms of life, not just in volleyball, we’re overachievers,” says Wyrick. “We try to set really high standards for ourselves and for each other. We’re kind of our own family.”
As the season has progressed following this game the team has lost their undefeated title to Salem College (13-5 overall, 5-3 conference). However, this has not slowed this dominant team down as they prepare to face off against Pfeiffer University ( 5-8 overall, 1-6 conference) on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
Contributor: James Weller