New Kent eases past Smithfield in volleyball sweep

New Kent's Zoe Smith (3) blocks a Smithfield shot, one of her team-high two blocks, with teammate Sydney Griffith in position to double block if needed.

Alan Chamberlain photos

New Kent’s Lady Trojans led most of the way in cruising to an easy three-game sweep of Smithfield’s visiting Packers 25-7, 25-10, 25-17 in Tuesday night volleyball.

New Kent forged ahead 6-0 in the opening game and never looked back. Game two produced more of the same.

The Packers stepped up their play in game three, taking a 14-13 lead midway through. But when Lady Trojan Paige Simpson made a diving save on an errant pass, popping the ball over the net and into an open space in the Packer defense to break a 14-14 deadlock, the hosts were back in control.

“We need one of those kind of matches every once in a while,” said Lady Trojan coach Cyndi Burnett. “This was about as well as we can play. We had very few unforced errors, and everybody was on.”

And statistics pointed toward a total team effort. Simpson produced six kills at the net along with five service aces while Sydney Griffith chipped in seven kills and four aces. Kaitlyn Claytor, meanwhile, led in kills with eight and delivered four aces.

Zoe Smith led the team in blocks with two while setters Emiley Angle and Cortney Pickett were credited with 14 and 10 assists, respectively. On defense, Griffith and Jada Evans tied for team-high honors in digs with seven apiece.

“We did exactly what we needed to do to win,” said Burnett, whose team improved to 12-8. “Hopefully, this gives us confidence going into our last three [regular season] games.”

New Kent hosts Warhill this Thursday for the home finale and Senior Night. The regular season concludes next week at Lafayette and Poquoson.