Greene Central knocks off Kinston in three sets

Greene Central sophomore Angel Hill played a big role in the Rams three-set win over Kinston on Thursday. Photo by Laieke Abebe / Neuse News

In their last meeting, Greene Central and Kinston needed five sets to decide a winner.

This time around, the Rams took care of business in dominant fashion by sweeping the Vikings, 25-9, 25-8, 25-14 in Snow Hill on Thursday. For Emily Nelson’s squad, it was the team’s second win in its last three matches. Both teams came in with a good chance to improve their record, but it was the Rams (7-12, 2-7 ECC) who took care of business at home.

“We’re coming off of a struggle with South Lenoir,” Nelson said. “My team needed some fuel for this game and we came out strong. I think my seniors are finishing the season strong and they’re giving it their all in every match. Winning a match like this in the second to last home game of the year was really nice.”

The Rams began the contest on an 11-2 run highlighted by two blocks from Madalyn Radford and Angel Hill. Meanwhile, the Vikings (2-14, 1-9) couldn’t find their footing early and couldn’t cut until the early deficit. Three straight service aces from Meredith Warren-Lane made it 22-7, and the Rams eventually took a 1-0 lead.

Another big run began the second set for Greene Central, as the team scored eight straight on Daly Keel’s serving. Quiaira Powell made some nice plays at the net for the Vikings, but unforced errors led to many advantages for the Rams, who comfortably took the second set.

Kinston gave their best effort in the third set taking a 3-1 lead, but Cassidy Turner helped put GC ahead 12-8 with a run of aces. Powell cut the advantage to 15-14 with a cross-court kill, but five straight points by the Rams put distance between themselves and the Vikings, which allowed them to secure the win.

“They had the momentum and we couldn’t get the big stop,” said Shonda Hines, who took Kinston’s head coaching duties for this match. “I told the girls to be proud of themselves for their effort. Even though we lost, we finished the match strong and there were a lot of good things to takeaway. We give Greene Central a lot of credit for playing a great game.”

Greene Central and Kinston are back in action next Tuesday. The Rams are on the road against West Craven while the Vikings travel to North Lenoir.