BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Despite the fact that most of its players are freshmen and sophomores, Northside Christian Academy’s volleyball team is off to a strong start this season, improving to 4-1 with a 3-1 (25-20, 25-7, 13-25, 25-14) win over visiting First Assembly Christian on Sept. 5.
The Eagles, who are coming off a season in which they won the South Eastern Christian Conference West Division championship, led 7-4 in the first set before scoring five straight points with Jordan Padelford serving. Padelford had three aces during that span.
It was 14-8 in favor of Northside when First Assembly put together a run to make it a one-point game before the Eagles’ Briley Parrish recorded a kill for side-out.
Parrish later had another kill for a side-out, resulting in a 21-19 Northside lead with Alexi Welsh serving. The Eagles added a point to their total when Brooklyn Cooper had a kill off a Leona Harden assist. First Assembly forced side-out with a kill, but then allowed a free ball to hit the floor, giving the serve back to Northside.
A passing error by First Assembly gave Northside a 24-20 lead. Jodey Garrison then made plays off two consecutive kill attempts by First Assembly, keeping play alive until Cooper ended the set with a kill off a Harden assist.
The second set was a dominating Northside win. The Eagles led 5-3 before scoring four straight points with Emma Crews serving. Cooper had a block and a kill off a Crews assist during the span, which also included a back-row kill by Parrish.
It was an 11-4 when Northside went on an 8-0 run that included five aces by Padelford.
Welsh scored the winning point on a tip.
Coach Todd von Weyhe went deep into his bench to give players some experience during the third set. Northside trailed almost throughout and found itself in a big hole after First Assembly had two 5-0 runs to go up 21-8.
The fourth set was a close affair until the Eagles began slowly pulling away. A Maddy Burke kill off a Crews assist put Northside up 14-10. Cooper had two kills that helped the Eagles stay ahead and build a five-point lead.
It was 18-13 when Northside scored six straight points with Padelford serving. Two of those points were off aces, while another came off a Cooper kill.
First Assembly did force side-out with the Eagles one point away from the win, but Cooper put an end to the match with a kill off a Crews assist.
The Eagles host First Christian and Gainesville Christian Community on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. and will travel to Live Oak to play Westwood Christian at 5:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Northside travels to Jasper to play Corinth Christian at 5:30 p.m.
