Goldsboro battles through opening-set mistakes

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on August 20, 2014 1:48 PM

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After starting out flat in the Wayne Christian Jamboree on Saturday, the Goldsboro volleyball team did it again Tuesday.

They surrendered the first four points of the match and couldn't recover in a first-set loss to Southern Wayne. Cougars head coach TJ Lancaster talked to the team, told them to play the simple style of volleyball they normally play and not to get too tricky.

Then he sat down and stopped coaching.

Goldsboro won the next three sets and match 23-25, 25-13, 25-14, 25-21 at Norvell T. Lee Gym. It was the season-opening match for both teams.

"I realized that with this group they tend to know what to do and I can't over coach," Lancaster said. "In the past I've had to get up and tell everyone where to be and what to do, but with this group sometimes I need to step back."

Lancaster's advice proved wise for the Cougars.

They stopped trying to hit the shots that led to 14 errors in the first set. They started focusing on making good passes and hitting the ball to open spots on the court.

The Saints struggled to get organized and scrambled for loose balls.

"This team is different than most of the ones we play," Southern Wayne head coach Stephanie Beverly said. "Those 4-A schools in our conference have those girls who can kill the ball at the net. So we played for that, and these girls just came up and tipped it to spots we couldn't get to and we never adjusted."

Matti Rose Lyon, Maddie Jara and Alexus Jones led Goldsboro in the final three sets. Jara, the libero, struggled in the first set with her passing. Her right hand was taped after she jammed it on Saturday and she said she had to overcome the psychological aspect.

"I think I was just worried about playing with it on because it was different," Jara said. "But after a while I got used to it.

Jara fixed her issues and finished the match on a strong note, making good passes to her teammates. She tallied six service aces and two digs.

A sophomore setter, Lyon registered 12 assists and five aces. Jones was a constant force in the middle and as a server. She had eight aces, nine kills and four blocks.

"We had a good serving night. They were able to pick their spots and get our serves over," Lancaster said. "It was a good team win where each individual contributed."

Amone Brown and Katelyn Williams played solid for the Saints, who have improved since last season.

"They were a scrappy team the whole match," Lyon said. "They didn't give up and they made it close in the last set. It was a good match."