West Rowan Uses Timely Runs to Dispatch Northwest Cabarrus in Three Sets
Pregame Huddle Photo by Jaelen M. - CLT Media Group
CONCORD, N.C. — Northwest Cabarrus showed flashes of strong offensive play Thursday night, but West Rowan consistently found answers, using timely serving runs and Northwest miscues to earn a three-set victory.
West Rowan established the early advantage in the opening set, jumping out to a 5–2 lead. Northwest responded at the net, with Fabiana delivering an early kill and Ana Guerrero adding several kills of her own as the Trojans attempted to stay within striking distance.
Northwest eventually pulled within two at 13–11, but West Rowan soon shifted the momentum dramatically.
With Kayla Burns at the service line, the Falcons put together a five-point run that helped break the set open. West Rowan continued applying pressure as the lead grew to 24–15 before closing out the opening set, 25–16.
The second set brought a much stronger start from Northwest.
With the teams separated by just one point early, Guerrero delivered another kill at the net as Northwest began piecing together a run. The Trojans eventually moved ahead 11–9, forcing West Rowan to call a timeout.
Northwest continued its surge after an ace from No. 14 pushed the advantage to 13–10.
West Rowan, however, refused to let the Trojans pull away.
As the set progressed, Northwest began struggling with communication defensively, and the Falcons repeatedly found openings on the court. West Rowan eventually moved ahead 18–16 before extending the lead to 20–16, forcing Northwest to use a timeout in hopes of resetting.
The Trojans scored immediately coming out of the timeout, but West Rowan quickly regained possession. No. 12 answered with a powerful kill that helped push the Falcons ahead 23–18.
West Rowan finished the set with a 25–20 victory, taking a commanding 2–0 advantage in the best-of-five match.
Facing the possibility of being swept, Northwest entered the third set with renewed energy.
Fabiana provided a spark with multiple early kills, while Guerrero continued to make her presence felt at the net. Her kill helped Northwest build an early 7–2 advantage as the Trojans appeared determined to extend the match.
But once again, West Rowan steadily worked its way back.
The Falcons trimmed Northwest's advantage to 12–10 midway through the set as several unforced errors began hurting the Trojans. What had once been a comfortable Northwest lead quickly dwindled to a single point.
West Rowan then surged ahead.
Behind the serving of No. 12, the Falcons put together another important run. No. 4 contributed a kill during the stretch, while No. 14 found an open spot in the Northwest defense and dropped the ball into the gap for another point.
The Falcons eventually stretched their advantage to 20–16, forcing Northwest to call another timeout in search of a final response.
West Rowan maintained control from there and closed out the third set 25–18, completing the 3–0 sweep.
Despite the loss, Northwest showed stretches of strong play, particularly when Fabiana and Guerrero were able to establish themselves offensively at the net. However, West Rowan's service pressure, defensive positioning and ability to capitalize on unforced errors proved to be the difference throughout the match.