Coastal Christian volleyball reaches NCISAA 3A semifinals for second straight year
***Click here to view a gallery of 35 photos from the action***
It was fitting that Coastal Christian junior middle blocker Lydia Pate put down the match-ending kill Friday evening.
One of the team’s unsung heroes, Pate put down seven kills and served six aces to help the Centurions earn a 25-20, 25-4, 23-25, 25-16 victory over visiting Grace Christian in the quarterfinals of the NCISAA 3A playoffs.
Coastal Christian’s Lydia Pate served six aces on Friday. [Tim Hower/Coastal Preps]
She spent her freshman and sophomore seasons on the JV team, but her transition to the varsity team this year has been seamless. She has been a force in the middle and one of the team’s top servers despite not having much experience.
“I really tried to work on my serves this summer when I was doing beach stuff,” Pate said. “I don’t really care about getting accolades or any of that stuff. I just love playing.”
The victory was especially sweet since Grace Christian was the team that knocked the Coastal Christian (7-3) out of the playoffs in five sets last year. Now, the Centurions gets another shot to reach their first state title game when they play at Asheville Christian Academy on Tuesday evening.
Coastal Christian led from start-to-finish in the opening set that ended on a kill from Kora Beth Witzenman.
A nearly flawless second set from the Centurions put them a set away from victory. Emma Anderson opened the scoring with an ace, and a block from Witzenman and Mallorie Moore completed the 25-4 rout that featured eight aces, seven kills and five blocks.
“It was almost like we were playing not to lose in game one,” Coastal Christian coach Dudley Raye said. “We weren’t being aggressive and I told them we needed to flip it and start playing to win.”
It would have been easy for Grace Christian to fold, but they came out in the third set much more inspired and took a close set to extend the match.
The final set was also close until the Centurions went on an 8-1 run that featured four kills from outside hitter Kelly McConekey. An overpass kill from Witzenman put the home team up 22-13 and Pate finished off the victory with an emphatic kill from the middle.
“I don’t think Lydia even knows how good she is,” Raye said. “She doesn’t really get down on herself and she jumps really high. When our setters give her a good ball, she’s not getting blocked.
McConekey led Coastal Christian with 10 kills. Witzenman dished out 15 assists to go along with seven kills and four blocks, while Moore finished with six kills and three blocks.
