Round one: Pinecrest at Union Pines
Pinecrest and Union Pines are getting ready to face-off Tuesday evening in Cameron for what will make a thrilling match in their first of two meetings.
This match will be a tough test for both teams. There is a lot on the line for both teams, not only are they county and conference rivals but both teams sit in first and second in their conference. With a Patriot win, they will pull further away in the conference. With a Viking win, it will keep them close and keep things interesting for the rest of the season. One of these Moore County teams will move their win streak to five games.
The Lady Patriots are 9-5 on the season and undefeated in conference play at 5-0. They currently hold the first spot in the SAC. The Patriots are 4-2 on the road and have 27 set wins and 15 set losses.
The Lady Vikings are also having a lot of success on the court this season. The Vikings are 9-3 overall and 4-1 in SAC play. They are sitting in second place behind the Patriots, with a 3-1 home record. The Vikings have also won 27 sets while the losing 11.
Moore Daily Sports asked the head coach of Pinecrest Brandon Blackburn and head coach of Union Pines Felicia Marks four questions.
MDS: What has led this team to be successful so far this season?
PC Brandon Blackburn: “First and foremost, we have great kids who are doing amazing things at school and in the community! Additionally, our team works extremely hard in the gym and we are intentional about what it is that we want to do in a game and we specifically work on that at practice.”
UP Felicia Marks: “Our team’s success has been really from a variety of things and we are finally finding our groove and connecting on the court on a more consistent basis. Offensively, having players like Tyne Ross and Alleigh Mabe on the front has helped us tremendously this season and defensively, our libero Mylee Scruggs has been able to hold off opponents just by being all over the court! But honestly, I think our success is really boiling down to good team chemistry and our defense, setters and attackers really clicking in order to stop teams from scoring and to score points of our own.”
MDS: This is setting up to be a great match between the Patriots and Vikings and the first of two meetings this year. Is your team looking forward to this match?
PC Brandon Blackburn: “We look forward to every match! It’s an opportunity to go play the game we love and a chance to go execute what it is that we have been working on at practice. Of course, we always relish opportunities to go play great teams!”
UP Felicia Marks: “We always look forward to playing Pinecrest. It’s a fun environment to play in, no matter home or away.”
MDS: What will be your team’s key to winning this game be?
PC Brandon Blackburn: “We always believe that we need to win the serve/serve receive game. Likewise, this match will have an increased importance on OH defense and transition offense. We would love to come out and get first ball kill opportunities.”
UP Felicia Marks: “We prepare for them just like we prepare for everyone else. We focus on what we need to do to be successful and we will be ready to play Tuesday.”
MDS: How are you and your team feeling about the season so far?
PC Brandon Blackburn: “We know that we have a few more losses than what people outside of our program may have been expecting but we also know that we have played an incredibly tough non-conference schedule and will continue to do so for the rest of the season. We also know that we get everyone’s best game in conference and we have to prepare for that!
UP Felicia Marks: “We have been having a great season so far, not without its ups and downs, but we are getting better every day and trying to have fun every day too and that is all I can ask for as a coach.”
If you are a volleyball fan or not, when these two teams get together in any sport, there is a lot being played for. These rivalries are what make High School sports so fun. This will be a match you don’t want to miss out on. Last season Pinecrest won the series 3-0.
The JV teams will start things off at 5 p.m. at Union Pines for a best of three. The Varsity team will follow for their best of five.
Both teams will face each other again for the last match of the regular season on October 12, at Pinecrest.
Article by Curtis Self.
