Flyers Top Central Carolina to Remain Unbeaten in Region 10 Play

The #5-ranked Sandhills Community College Flyers hosted the Central Carolina Community College Cougars in their annual Pink Out game Thursday night at The Hangar. Despite a shaky start, the Flyers put together an impressive offensive display in the final two sets to secure a 3-0 victory (25-22, 25-10, 25-10). The win improves Sandhills to 23-4 overall and 4-0 in Region 10 play, while the Cougars drop to 3-10 and 2-5 in the region.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game," said Flyers head coach Alicia Riggan. "After playing them before, we expected them to serve aggressively. They were really smart and scrappy on defense. We've been focusing on mixing up our shots, not just relying on power but incorporating more finesse, which they did to us in the first set."

Riggan continued, "In the second set, we saw the level we're capable of, and the same in the third. We just need to start out faster."

In the opening set, the Cougars jumped to a 4-1 lead, but the Flyers quickly responded, tying the score at 4-4. The two teams traded points until Sandhills pulled ahead 20-16. Central Carolina managed to tie the set at 21-21, but the Flyers closed with a 4-1 run to take the set 25-22.

The second set was all Sandhills, as they raced to a 5-0 lead and extended it to 11-3. The Cougars had no answer as the Flyers cruised to a dominant 25-10 win.

In the final set, Sandhills led 10-3 before the Cougars made a brief push, cutting the lead to 12-6. However, the Flyers responded by outscoring the Cougars 13-4 to close out the match with another 25-10 victory.

"I feel like we were jittery in the first set," said Riggan. "But in the second set, it was like, 'Hey, this is what we do. We're really good at this, so let's play Flyer volleyball.' After that, we were ready to rock and roll."

"We had a game plan to pick up our intensity and support each other," added setter Sydney Garner. "We finished strong for each other, and that's exactly what we did."

Caroline Bradford led the Flyers with 13 kills, followed by Kristin Dodds with seven and Cassidy Jewett with six. Garner tallied 18 assists, with Mariana Clayton and Lainey Mullins adding six each, and Zoey Hall contributing three.

"I think we really came together," Garner said. "We picked up our energy and intensity, and that helped us maintain momentum throughout the match. We struggled last time to finish, but this time we came together to get it done."

Mullins led the Flyers' defense with 16 digs, followed by Bradford with 11 and Nikki Lambert with 10. Jewett and Haley Whitaker combined for three blocks at the net.

Riggan concluded, "It doesn't matter who's on the other side of the net. We play our game, whether it's a region match or a non-region game. Our goal is to get 1% better every day. The girls are excited for region play, but they're even more excited to keep improving."

The Flyers travel to Martinsville, VA for a tri-match at Patrick and Henry Community College tomorrow, where they will face Patrick & Henry CC at 11 a.m. and Rockingham at 1 p.m.

Z. Ciboth