APA rolls past East Duplin

Arendell Parrott wasn’t messing around with East Duplin on Tuesday.

The Patriots volleyball team downed the Panthers in straight sets (25-10, 25-15, 25-18). For the defending NCISAA 3A state champions, it was business as usual, led by senior middle hitter Alli Grant Avery.

“We had to maintain our focus throughout the game,” she said. “We had to keep our composure and our drive and everything worked itself out. Our team is focused on doing what we know how to do on our side of the net.”

The opening set was a dominant one for the Patriots (12-1). They took a 15-3 lead to start the match, highlighted by kills from Avery and junior outside hitter Virginia Edmondson. East Duplin (8-2) tried to out of a big hole, but it was too much to overcome.

The two teams traded points to start the second set, but an 8-2 run opened up a cushion for the Patriots. East Duplin trailed by six, but cut the deficit to 14-11 before three straight aces from Edmondson helped the Patriots pull away for a two-set lead.

A 5-0 start by APA in the final set got the team rolling. East Duplin played a spirited set trailing by one midway through the frame, but a 7-0 run distanced the Patriots from the Panthers.

“We’re trying to reproduce what we’ve done in the five years I’ve been here,” Patriots head coach David Barnes said. “Games like this can help us continue the excellence of our program and players like Alli really help with that. It’s great to get the win, but now we have to focus on a really good (Wilmington) Coastal Christian program. We have to be ready from the get go.”

The Patriots haven’t dropped a set since Aug. 10, when they played the Centurions.