New Kent remains unbeaten at home; Smithfield falls to Lady Trojans in straight sets

New Kent’s Ivy McLean (1) was one of the many players to step up for the Lady Trojans as she taps the ball over the outstretched arms of Smithfield’s Tatianna Langston (14) and Akilah Frye (15).

Robb Johnson photo

New Kent High School’s gymnasium continues to be a tough place to play for opposing volleyball foes. Tuesday night’s matchup for the Lady Trojans continued that trend.

New Kent cruised 25-10, 25-8, 25-13 over the visiting Smithfield Lady Packers, keeping their record at home unblemished for the current season.

The Lady Trojans got off to a fast start, as Clara Foster served five consecutive aces to jump out to an early lead. Smithfield was able to work their way back to within four points (13-9), before a kill by New Kent’s Julia Hathaway sparked a 12-1 run to close out the first set.

Sets two and three played nearly identical, as Lady Trojans Head Coach Cynthia Burnett strategized through rotations and working on team chemistry to make sure the available players had a keen sense of how to play with each other. The ploy worked, with the home team having no issues closing out the match in straight sets.

After the contest, Burnett commented that the opportunity for different players to interact with each other on the court proved beneficial.

“We are still down three captains and three starters,” she said. “We had some people in there that usually would not be in there, but they got some good touches and quality playing time.

“I just felt it was a great team effort,” Burnett added. “I am proud of the way the girls played. They had fun, love each other, and they enjoy the game.”

New Kent (12-2) was led by Foster’s 11 aces, Hathaway’s eight kills, and Logan McKenney’s three digs.