New Kent’s perserverance results in Bay Rivers’ victory

New Kent’s Lexie Butler (right) delivers a devastating kill against a Lafayette blocker.

Robb Johnson photo

They say that while confidence can breed success, too much confidence can make you complacent. Apparently after the visiting Lafayette Lady Rams won the opening set during the Sept. 14 contest at New Kent, those words eventually doomed the guests.

New Kent’s Lady Trojans perseverance resulted in a 22-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-8 victory during the Bay Rivers District contest.

The hosts opted for a younger lineup to kickoff the match, hoping it would build team morale after two consecutive losses. However, the shift in strategy backfired, resulting in the ploy to be abandoned. Unfortunately, the change wasn’t salvaged in time as New Kent dropped the opening set.

But with the traditional lineup in to commence the next frame, momentum took a swing in favor of the Lady Trojans. With serving and aggressive striking, the hosts cruised to a win in the set. Similar accolades took place in the third as New Kent bolted out to a 20-9 advantage before settling with a 25-19 victory.

Lady Trojan head coach Cynthia Burnett sent a message to her team before the fourth stanza, firing them up before taking the court. The tactic work, as the Lady Trojans wasted little time and disposed of the Lady Rams with a 25-8 drubbing to claim the match.

Burnett spoke about the shift in strategy in the opening frame in an attempt to spark a push to motivate the players.

“We had a brand new lineup in the first set,” she said, pointing to different players occupying the floor. “We got through the mistakes and I told my players that we had to make them earn their points.”

“Our front line was great after that first set,” Burnett added, pointing to the effort in sets two through four. “We started rotating and resetting. Along with our strong serving and net play, I was very satisfied tonight.

Jada Evans led New Kent (7-4) in kills and assists with 15 and eight, respectively.