PITTSBORO — Heading into Seaforth’s volleyball match against North Moore last Thursday, the stakes were clear.
The two teams were tied for second in the Mid-Carolina Conference, both boasting a 6-2 conference record. The Mustangs were looking to avenge a home loss suffered against the Hawks back in mid-September.
For Seaforth, a win would secure sole possession of second place, and in the process, grant the Hawks a first-round bye in next week’s conference tournament. A loss, however, would have propelled North Moore a game ahead of Seaforth with only one regular-season contest remaining.
Tensions were high, and the back-and-forth nature mirrored that of a postseason match. Despite Seaforth’s youth and inexperience, the Hawks’ ability to put together late-set runs and timely serves led them to a 3-0 sweep of the Mustangs.
“We have some leaders that are also good servers,” head coach Scott Green said. “(Their composure) comes through just about every match. We get a lot of free points from our serves and that helps us.”
After jumping out to an early lead in the first set, Seaforth’s attack went cold.
Numerous kill attempts by freshman outside hitter Keira Rosenmarkle were dug out by the Mustangs, and the early adversity caused the co-captain to eventually hit a few attempts out of bounds. Heading into the match, Rosenmarkle served as a standard of consistency for the Hawks — recording a team-high 220 kills on the season entering Thursday.
But despite her early struggles, the stand-out freshman eventually came into form.
“In volleyball, the next play is the most important,” sophomore libero Mia Kellam said. “So you’ve got to keep moving on and keep growing.”
As the Hawks scraped for every point, North Moore’s vocal play helped the visitors open up a 17-12 lead in the first set. The sizable deficit prompted Green to call a timeout, in hopes of regrouping his team.
Sophomore setter Maris Huneycutt said Green has mentioned many times that the only occasion when the Hawks can’t afford to lose a point is straight out of a timeout. And right on cue, Seaforth’s sets and hits became crisper following the brief stoppage, and the Hawks went on a 13-1 run en route to an opening-set win.
“Our hitters have really advanced and have become a lot better than last year,” Huneycutt said. “(The growth) just has to do with maturity and I think we’ll just keep getting better.”
The late-set momentum generated by those in maroon and silver failed to carry over into the match’s second set, however.
North Moore scored the first two points in the second set, and later on, the Mustangs held a 20-18 advantage thanks to a miscommunication between Seaforth’s lines.
Again, the Hawks would push through.
This time, they did so through the palm of Huneycutt. The sophomore co-captain tallied three critical aces to lead Seaforth to a 25-20 win to open up a 2-0 lead. For Huneycutt, the success in high-pressure situations came down to nothing more than her being locked in.
“I just go back there and take a deep breath and focus on hitting the ball, instead of what people in the stands are saying,” she said. “It’s just me and the ball.”
Huneycutt’s heroics helped ease Seaforth into its third set, as the beaten-down Mustangs soon realized their fate. Though North Moore refused to back down without a fight, the Hawks captured the third set’s final five points and prevailed, 3-0.
The marquee victory for the Hawks not only exemplified the rapid rise the young program has made in two years, but it displayed the grueling work that has leapfrogged Seaforth toward to top of the Mid-Carolina Conference, a feat that gives the Hawks a chance at their first state playoff berth in school history.
“This is a really big win for us — we’re all really excited,” Kellam said. “We’ve been working really hard this season and have been playing really hard in our games and practices.”
Seaforth’s final match of the regular season is Thursday night at Graham, which is 0-16 on the season. A victory here will lock in the Hawks as the No. 2 seed in the Mid-Carolina Conference Tournament, which begins early next week.
The NCHSAA is the expected to release brackets for state tournaments on Oct. 20, with the first round beginning Oct. 22.