By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — After the Watauga junior varsity thumped the Cox Mill JVs, 2-0, on Aug. 19, many in Lentz Eggers Gym thought the varsity matchup would be a mere formality. Not so, as an athletic, powerful hitting Chargers squad upended the Pioneers in straight sets, 29-27, 25-20, 25-20.
In the first set, the teams battled neck and neck for most of it, with Watauga looking to have taken as much as a 4-point lead late in the frame. But the Chargers battled back to trade leads once again, finally getting the upper hand in overtime.
The final two sets found the Pioneers making uncharacteristic handling errors in and around some sensational digs off of rocket-like kill shots by Cox Mill’s sophomore outside hitter, Jordyn Gray. The 6-1 southpaw did most of her damage at the net on kill shots, but also proved troublesome for the Pioneers when serving.
Watauga lost the match in spite of 26 kills from Emma Pastusic and Brooklyn Stanbery combined, 13 each. Libero Evie Robbins led the Pioneers in digs, with 15, while Lainey Gragg and Madi Combs recorded 15 and 11 assists, respectively.
Now 2-1, the Pioneers host former Northwestern Conference rival Hickory on Aug. 22, 6 p.m., before consecutive road games against Draugh (Aug. 24), Cuthbertson (Aug. 28) and Foard (Aug. 31).
