BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Union County High School senior volleyball player Jurney Crim surpassed 1,000 career digs and got the chance to celebrate the accomplishment during a home match on Sept. 26.
“In reaching varsity my freshman year, that was kind of my whole goal — getting to 1,000,” Crim said. “It’s a great accomplishment. We’ve been counting down since the beginning of the season.”
Crim, the team’s defensive specialist, recorded 132 digs as a freshman, following up with 359 in 2021 and 292 in 2022. That left her 217 short of 1,000 entering this season.
In 18 matches this year (prior to Oct. 3), Crim failed to reach double-digit digs only three times. She’s surpassed the 20-dig mark in eight matches.
Crim passed 1,000 for her career with an 11-dig performance on Sept. 26. In two matches since then, she had a total of 35, which puts her at 1,058.
“It is an amazing milestone,” Union Head Coach Tifani Knox said. “Sometimes, defensive players don’t get as much kudos as the offensive players because it’s not as cool, but without them, the offensive players would not be able to do what they do.”
Crim said because of her height (she’s listed as 5-0 on the team’s roster), she had no option but to play defensive specialist. Still, it’s a position on the team and one she has embraced.
“I take it super seriously,” Crim said. “Since it’s the only position I can really play, I try to play it the best I possibly can.”
Crim ranks fourth in digs in all of Class 1A and is 33rd in the entire state.
“There isn’t a ball that she won’t go for,” Knox said. “It doesn’t matter where it is. When you think it’s impossible, she makes plays happen because she doesn’t give up. Having that in our defense really, really helps. Our defense is very strong this year. It’s because she’s the leader.”
Tigers back on track with sweep of Bell
Jailyn Simmons had 15 kills and eight blocks as the Tigers snapped a three-match losing streak with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-10) over visiting Bell on Sept. 30.
Union (8-10), which had lost five of its last six matches, got off to a fast start in the first set, scoring four of the first five points, including three straight with Jordan Hendricks serving. Bell came back to score five straight as the teams remained close throughout the set.
The Tigers went up 21-18, scoring three points with Hendricks serving. An Indi Knox kill later forced side-out to put Union ahead 22-20. Simmons had a kill off a Hendricks assist with Knox serving before the Bulldogs’ Mae Collett had a kill to force side-out. Bell, though, promptly committed a service error. Union then scored the set-winning point off a Bell attack error.
Union got kills from Simmons and Layla Barber in taking a 4-0 lead in the second set. A five-point stretch with Hendricks serving later made the score 10-1.
The Tigers got a couple of tips from Rylie Parrish as well as a Simmons kill in building a 16-7 lead. Simmons added a couple of more kills off Kamryn Southerland assists as Union went up 22-15. Hendricks had assists on kills by Knox and Simmons as the Tigers were one point away from winning the set. The final point came off a double hit by Bell.
Knox had two kills as the Tigers scored the first four points of the third set. Then, with Knox serving, Union scored eight straight points. Knox had three aces during that span, while Simmons had a kill.
A Parrish kill off a Southerland assist forced side-out and put the Tigers ahead 21-9. They then scored three straight points with Crim serving.
Simmons ended the match, recording a kill off a Southerland assist.
Southerland finished with 10 assists, while Hendricks had 12.
Knox and Barber had nine and six kills, respectively, while Parrish had five. Parrish also had four blocks.
Crim led the team in digs with 11. Southerland had six, while Knox and Abby Williams each had five.
Union’s three-match losing streak began with a 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 12-25, 31-29) loss to host Dixie County on Sept. 23.
Barber and Knox had 20 and 10 kills, respectively, while Simmons added nine. Parrish had seven.
Crim and Hendricks led the team in digs with 22 each. Union also got 12 from Williams, 11 from Barber, nine from Knox, eight from Bella Johns and seven each from Simmons and Southerland.
Hendricks and Southerland recorded 17 and 10 assists, respectively, while Simmons led the team in blocks with six. Parrish added three blocks.
Knox also added seven service aces to her totals.
On Sept. 26, the Tigers lost 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-18) at home to The Rock. The highlight was Crim recording a team-high 11 digs in surpassing 1,000 for her career. Barber and Johns each had six digs.
Barber added six kills, while Simmons and Parrish had five and three blocks, respectively.
Hendricks recorded seven assists, while Southerland had four.
Union traveled to Branford on Sept. 28, losing 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-18).
Barber had six kills, while Parrish and Simmons each had five. Simmons also had eight blocks, while Parrish added five.
Hendricks, who had two blocks, led in assists with 10, while Southerland had eight.
Crim and Barber had 24 and 14 digs, respectively. The Tigers also got nine from Southerland, eight from Williams, seven from Hendricks, six from Knox and five from Johns.
The Tigers host Dixie County on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. and will host Lafayette on Monday, Oct. 9, at 6:30 p.m. Union then travels to play Bradford on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m.
Junior varsity matches will begin one hour prior to each varsity match.
