Jones Senior hands Southside fourth-straight loss

CHOCOWINITY — The Southside volleyball team’s season-opening, four-game slide has head coach Rosalyn Grimes scrambling for ways to turn a collection of individual talent into one efficient unit.

With the loss of Katilyn Laughinghouse, Valarie Hodges and Kyajia Mourning to graduation, much of the pressure has fallen on Grimes’ cast of freshman to produce, thrusting playmakers like Symone Ruffin into an early leadership role.

A divide on the court is apparent. On one side, you have experienced players like Dajea Reddick, Tiana Corbett and Angelica Tisdale and the other, a pair of freshman cousins in Symone and Danielle Ruffin, all while a collection of varsity-worthy junior varsity talent like Hannah Paramore and Jadekia Green look on from the bench.

The result has been the worst start in three years for the program, as the Seahawks have yet to win a game, much less a match. Modification of the varsity lineup and rotation seems to be on the horizon for a Seahawks team looking for a quick turnaround.

“I feel like we are lacking confidence and fight,” Grimes said. “I tell my girls, just go out and get one set and I feel like it’ll change our team’s whole dynamic. JV did that, they won that first set and you couldn’t touch them. They were on cloud nine and are still on cloud nine. Varsity, they need that one set, that one win of any sort, and it’ll change the whole dynamic.”

With a selection of varsity players unavailable for a number of reasons, Friday’s match against Jones Senior inched the Seahawks closer to a total overhaul. To fill roster spots, Paramore, Green, Kinyara Daniels and Taylor Langley were recalled from junior varsity, which won its game, 2-0, after being down early.

Right out of the gate, Jones Senior jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead. Southside’s lack of chemistry resulted in multiple unforced errors and sloppy sets. Southside seemed to be in the right place at the right time, but communication problems left the backline stranded, resulting in multiple aces through the first game.

Down 12-3, “I realized I had to go ahead and make some changes immediately,” Grimes said. “As soon as I made those changes, the energy and the momentum actually picked up, but I guess it was a little bit too late.”

Paramore subbed in for Waters and a few series later, Daniels entered for Reddick.

With Paramore serving, Symone and Danielle Ruffin, along with Tisdale, began to operate and communicate more efficiently, but eventually dropped the first game, 25-11.

The early parts of the second game proved to be a back-and-forth affair between Jones Senior and the newly recalled junior varsity players. Down 8-6, the Seahawks strung together four-straight points, including one rally that lasted for about a minute. Tisdale notched a momentum-swinging kill, as her team seemed to be on its way to a win in the second game — it’s first of the season.

However, a couple aces and blocks from Jones Senior and some mishits from the home team and the Trojans began to pull away. Southside kept it interesting in the final rallies, but dropped the second set, 25-21.

“There was a lot of individualism out there tonight and in the game of volleyball you don’t win as individuals,” Grimes said. “JV had great teamwork tonight, working as a team to win. When they got down, they didn’t give up. They dug their claws into the ground and played. That’s the energy I thought my varsity was going to come out with.”

The effort that was absent in the first game came out of hibernation in the third. Danielle Ruffin recorded a kill and Tatyanna Rogers dived twice to save a single point during a minute long rally.

Despite some flashes of brilliance in the third game, Southside never could secure the lead, losing 25-16.

Symone Ruffin finished with two kills and a dig, while Danielle Ruffin, Tisdale and Waters notched a kill a piece.

“They are not used to playing together,” Grimes said. “This new group really doesn’t have the chemistry with the younger players yet. We’re trying to bond and gel — it’s working a little slower than I thought it was going to work. I definitely think we’ll be there by the end of the season, but I’m ready to go ahead and get there now.”

Southside will seek its first win today on the road at Lejeune. The Devil Pups boast a 1-3 record this season, but have kept each match close.