HAMLET — It was all kills and thrills Wednesday afternoon for the Hamlet Middle School volleyball team, which capped its perfect season and earned the 2019 Southeastern Middle School Athletic Conference title.
Defending their home court, the No. 1 Lady Red Rams defeated No. 2 Rockingham Middle School in straight sets, 3-0. All three set scores were 25-18 in favor of the top-ranked home team.
The victory saw Hamlet finish the season 14-0, and it was the third time it defeated its in-county rival this season. The Lady Red Rams won 30 sets this season, losing just one.
Rockingham, which finished 10-3, has played for the last two SEMSAC titles, but has come up short to Anson Middle School Blue and Hamlet, respectively.
“Playing Rockingham and (coach) Teresa Mason is always intimidating,” Hamlet head coach Alex Gardner said. “She is an incredible coach and always has a team of fierce competitors.
“This year, my team fought hard in every game they played,” she added. “We won some amazing volleys, hit some great attacks and played until the whistle blew every time. I’m so proud to end the season undefeated and as conference champs.”
The first set saw the Lady Rockets get out to an early lead thanks to back-to-back aces from Keyoni Nichols. Trailing 3-2, Hamlet’s Ryelan Lyerly went to the serving line and started a 6-0 run. Christi Jacobs had four straight kills for the Lady Red Rams and Lyerly added an ace to go up 8-3.
Jenna Gardner and Orena Drake would continue to open up the first set for Hamlet, collecting two aces each. An Emma Altman ace made it 22-17, and Katie Way helped close the set with a kill and an ace.
In the second stanza, an ace from Jamyia Lindsey and a Hamlet hitting error saw the Lady Rockets tie the set at six points. Rockingham would go up 9-7, but Lyerly recorded back-to-back kills a few points later to give Hamlet an 11-9 lead, but an Allie Rodgers ace tied it two points later.
Both teams would trade points, and Hamlet pulled away following a Rockingham timeout called with the visitors trailing 16-12. The Lady Red Rams went on an 8-0 run, which included three Gardner aces. Rockingham tried to fight its way back in with a 5-0 run of its own, but a hitting error ended the set in Hamlet’s favor.
The 2019 SEMSAC champion Lady Red Rams volleyball team.
Nichols began the third set the same as the first with two aces and Rockingham held an early 3-0 lead. But Way responded with two aces and Gardner added a kill to give the home team a 4-3 advantage. Tied at 11 points, a Gardner kill and two Altman aces gave the Lady Red Rams all they would need to pull ahead for good.
Down the stretch, Lyerly picked up two more aces to make it a 22-13 lead. She would clinch the championship banner for Hamlet when she delivered a right-handed kill from the middle of the court.
For the Lady Rockets, JNasia Neal recorded a team-high 13 points for her team and was followed by 10 points each from Lindsey and Nichols. Makailah Jackson, Allie Rodgers and Zoey Herberg all had seven points, respectively.
“I would like to give special recognition to the players for their hard work and dedication,” Mason said. “And ‘thank you’ to all who supported us throughout the season.”
