East Marion’s volleyball team came out of the gate strong in district play with two wins.
The Eagles (10-1, 2-0) defeated rival Columbia 3-1 Sept. 5 at Columbia High. East won the first two sets 25-14 and 25-23, but then the Wildcats bounced back to take the third set 25-23. The match closed with East breaking away for a 25-13 victory in the fourth set.
“We’ve got a strong chance as repeating as district champs. I’m excited about it,” head coach Mandell Echols said.
He said Junior Tytianna Porter and senior Brittany Dearman have stepped up as hitters after injuries.
Porter led the way against Columbia with 18 kills, seven aces and three blocks, while Dearman notched eight kills. Hope Cook served six aces, and Farae Jackson led the team in digs with nine.
For Columbia, Abby Morris had five kills and four aces to lead the Wildcats, while Sadie Willis made four kills.
East then kept its district record perfect with a 3-0 win (25-13, 25-7, 25-15) at Salem on Sept. 7. Porter and Dearman again had huge games, getting 16 kills and 10 kills, respectively.
The Eagles hosted West Marion Tuesday (results unavailable). They travel to Amite County tonight and then play at Tylertown Tuesday.
Columbia
After their loss to East, the Wildcats (5-11, 1-1) got their first district tally Sept. 7 at Tylertown. The Eagles dominated to take the match 25-21, 25-7, 25-13. Elizabeth Sanford and Trena Tran led the way with seven kills apiece. Willis had nine aces.
Columbia hosted Amite County Tuesday (after press deadlines) and now plays at Salem tonight. It will then face West Marion in an intra-county matchup Tuesday in Foxworth.
West Marion
The Trojans (4-6, 1-1) lost 3-0 to Salem on Sept. 5 25-8, 25-9, 25-12 before sweeping Amite County 25-11, 25-9, 25-16 on Sept. 7.
They followed up on that positive momentum with a 3-0 win at North Forrest Monday.
West plays at Tylertown tonight before hosting Columbia next week.
Pictured Above: Elaina Hollis sets the ball for teammate Janiece Brady. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
