Lady Jackets topple Bulldogs
SHERIDAN — Sheridan needed just under an hour to dispatch its rival Thursday night.
The Lady Jacket volleyball team swept White Hall 25-10, 25-6, 25-8 at Yellowjacket arena, completing a season sweep of the Lady Bulldogs.
Sheridan (19-3, 7-2 in 5A South) swept the Bulldogs in White Hall on Aug. 31 and needed 55 minutes Thursday to do it again.
White Hall (6-9, 4-5) defeated the Lady Jackets twice last season but struggled to generate offense this time.
Sheridan junior Jadyn Ashcraft and sophomore Skylar Sterritt both had great nights attacking from the left side, finishing with 15 kills each. Addison Hill, a junior, had nine.
White Hall junior Journey Peppers and sophomore Keira McKinley led the Lady Bulldogs with three kills each.
Sheridan coach Emily Grimmett said the Lady Jackets played how they practiced.
“I saw that we played under control,” Grimmett said. “We didn’t let [Division I] commit [Peppers], that’s highly talked about and kind of just intimidates everybody, we didn’t let that get in our head. We just went out and did work. We worked [Wednesday] in practice on getting around their block, because she’s obviously a big force on the net.”
White Hall scored first in every set. McKinley scored the first point of the match with a block, which sophomore Isabelle Lunsford followed with an ace to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. McKinley started the second set with a kill. A pair of Sheridan errors gave White Hall a 2-0 lead early in the third.
Sheridan always had an answer. Down 2-0 in the first, Sheridan went on a 10-0 run with senior Parker Rains serving. Ashcraft had five kills in this stretch, making an early statement.
The Lady Bulldogs never scored consecutive points in the second set. Sterritt at one point had five-straight kills with Ashcraft serving.
White Hall led 3-2 early in the third after a kill from Peppers, but Sheridan answered with a 16-1 run. This run included two aces each from Hill and junior Mary Lem and five kills by Ashcraft.
This win and the one in White Hall last month were a bit of revenge for Sheridan after losing both matches in the Battle of Highway 270 last year, but Grimmett said her players weren’t really thinking about that.
“This group’s just different,” Grimmett said. “Every point matters to them. Every set matters to them. We were six or seven games in the season, hadn’t lost a set yet. That’s just their mentality. So, I don’t really know even if in their mind that they’re thinking rivalry. They’re just thinking, ‘Let’s go win another ball game.’”
Several of the Yellowjacket football players attended the game and were loud and energetic all night, whether it was trying to distract White Hall when the Lady Bulldogs were serving or cheering every Sheridan point. They even called the Hogs late in the match.
Grimmett said she appreciated their support.
“They don’t realize what a difference them being here makes for us.”