Caldwell 3 Sandhills 2
CCCTI 20 25 25 13 17
SCC 25 15 21 25 15
Recap: After an eleven-day layoff due to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute’s volleyball team returned to the court Monday evening and defeated Sandhills Community College 3-2.
Sandhills, ranked fourth in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division Three poll that was released earlier Monday afternoon, saw their 16-match winning streak come to an end. It was the first home loss of the 2024 season for the Flyers and snapped a 20-match home winning streak dating back to the 2023 season. It was Caldwell’s first win at the Southern Pines, NC campus since restarting the program in 2021.
The match featured the top two teams in Region 10 Division Three and was a rematch of last season’s tournament final.
Caldwell, who slipped from ninth to eleventh in the NJCAA’s most recent rankings, had an early 14-11 lead in set one. Sandhills would battle back to take control of the set and win 25-20.
In set two, Caldwell dominated from start-to-finish, winning 25-15 to even the match at one set each. The Cobras would take the third set 25-21 before Sandhills forced a fifth and deciding set with a 25-13 win in set four.
In set five, Caldwell jumped out to an 8-3 lead before Sandhills outscored the Cobras 10-5 to tie the match at 13. Caldwell took a 14-13 advantage and had set point, but the Flyers scored the next two points to take a 15-14 lead. Caldwell would score the next three points and win the set 17-15, securing the 3-2 victory.
Sophomore Laney Craig (Hickory, NC) led Caldwell in kills with 14, followed by freshman Anna Kirkland (Statesville, NC) with 13 and freshman Kelsey Plumley (Hickory, NC) with 10. Sophomore Leah Pimentel (Charlotte, NC) had five service aces.
Sophomore Josie Chappell (Rosman, NC) had 28 assists, with freshman Taylor McClure (Statesville, NC) gathering 20.
Defensively, Craig led the team in digs with 19 followed by 17 from sophomore Emily Ramirez (West Jefferson, NC).
Caldwell will return to action Tuesday night in Hudson, welcoming Patrick & Henry Community College for a 6PM match. The Cobras will then host Sandhills on Friday afternoon at 5PM.
Caldwell improves to 14-2 overall, 4-0 in Region 10 Division Three play. Sandhills is now 25-5 overall and 6-1 in Region 10 Division Three.
Anna Kirkland had a .310 hitting percentage to go along with 13 kills and only four errors in Caldwell’s 3-2 victory over Sandhills on Monday.