New Kent blasts Jamestown to win volleyball season opener

New Kent’s Jaiden McCoy (right) delivers a thunderous spike against a Jamestown defender that eventually leads to a point.

Robb Johnson photo

For several years, the Jamestown Lady Eagles have been a thorn to the New Kent Lady Trojans when it comes to volleyball matches. But in a Mar. 2 contest, it was the Lady Trojans who used a needled that popped Jamestown’s hopes of winning in the opening season contest.

New Kent handily defeated Jamestown 25-14, 22-25, 25-14, 25-7 in the Bay Rivers contest, putting all other teams in the district on notice.

The opening set saw New Kent go on a 5-0 run after Clara Foster’s serves baffled Jamestown. Foster added an ace that was followed by Aubrey Hyndshaw’s set that catapulted the hosts out early to a 25-14 set win.

Jamestown recovered in the second half, as the Lady Eagles’ power on the backline and stern defense turned back the hosts in set two 22-25. But despite that drawback, Jamestown never seemed to be in control, as New Kent converted seven aces in the third set to string together another 25-14 set win.

The fourth set saw the hosts highlight their jumping ability and ability to attack the net. Jaiden McCoy patrolled the frontline, capping the contest off with a kill to claim the third necessary set to win the match.

After the contest, New Kent Lady Trojan head coach Cynthia Burnett talked about the experience advantage the team has this year.

“We’ve got thirteen returning players and we added one new player,” she commented. “We have no seniors, and this team has been playing together since the fifth grade.

“We came into the preseason with a lot of playing experience, so we did not have a long preseason to get ready,” Burnett added. “We did not have to make a lot of adjustments to our personnel as we have different people that can play multiple positions. This is the quickest team that I have ever coached.

New Kent starts off the season 1-0.