Regional volleyball contender Middlesex tops Charles City on Senior Night

By Robb Johnson | October 14, 2023 12:06 am

Charles City's Cheyenne Christian winds up to deliver a serve to start the second set.

Robb Johnson photo

Improvement for a young team is the key to successful programs. Charles City’s Lady Panthers hope that the bumps they are taking this year manifest into future success. An Oct. 12 contest against the current top seed in Region 1A provided the hosts a threshold that they are aiming for in the future.

Middlesex cruised to a 25-13, 25-5, 25-13 straight set victory over Charles City, putting a damper on the Senior Night celebration.

In the opening stanza, the hosts fell behind 11-2 early before a dig by Jaela Smith halted the run. Lady Panther teammate Endya Johnson would convert an ace on her first serve and provided a difficult return for Middlesex to cut the lead to 11-5. Charles City was able to stay within striking distance 19-12 before the visitors closed out with a 6-1 run to win the opening stanza.

The second set was dismal for the hosts as Middlesex rallied off 19 straight points to cruise to the win. In the third frame, Charles City and Middlesex battled in the beginning, with both teams knotted up at nine apiece. The Lady Chargers began redirecting the ball over the net, forcing the hosts to move out of position. The result was a 16-4 run to close out the match.

Charles City Lady Panthers Head Coach Lillani Adkins commented that while her team did play Middlesex better this time around, she was expecting more from her squad.

“Unfortunately, we still have bad habits on the court that we haven’t broken out of yet,” the head coach commented. “We still do not move our feet and we still do not communicate.

“But there were some good rallies tonight and we did do some good things,” Adkins added.

With two road games remaining, Charles City does have a positive future. With only two seniors graduating, the team has the possibility to return 11 players next year.

“One thing I always say to them is that their practice dictates their playing time,” the coach added. “Some of these girls need that game experience to see why they have to practice harder.

“If these girls stick to it and all of them return, then we may be able to form a JV (junior varsity) team to help get that game experience,” Adkins concluded.

Charles City’s record drops to 2-16 on the season.