PINETOWN — The Pamlico County volleyball team narrowed the gap between itself and the rest of the Coastal Plains Conference Thursday night after a five-game victory over the Panthers in a packed Northside gymnasium.

With four conference games left on the schedule, both teams entered with one loss apiece and by 8:30 p.m., after a match that last over two hours, it was the Hurricanes in sole possession of first place.

Junior middle hitter Laichelle Sparrow stood out from the rest of the pack in Game 1, stuffing kill opportunities and picking up three aces and two kills. In what was likely one of their best games of the season, the Hurricanes were operating on all cylinders and had very few unforced errors. Northside’s standout senior, hitter Alex Adams, was silenced in the first game, as Pamlico County secured a 25-19 win.

The Panthers changed the complexion of the match in Game 2, however, erasing all negative body language and working the ball to the front. Slowly but surely, the combination of setter Kendall Alligood and Adams finally began to emerge. Spreading the kills, aces and assists across the starting six, every player contributed to Northside’s 25-19 win in the second game and the team would carry the momentum into Game 3.

What began as a closely contested game finished in a blowout. On the back of Adams, Alligood and hitter Jaime Woolard, Northside recorded just a handful of mishits, as the offense began to work even more efficiently. As the decibel level of the crowd increased, the Panthers gained strength. Adams finished the game with three kills, a block and two digs, while Alligood notched four assists en route to a 25-11 win.

In a game that featured four lead changes and lasted over a half hour, both teams seemed to be at the top of their game. The Hurricanes’ Sparrow, Cheryl Thomas and captain Kelsey Guimbal notched multiple kills, while Alligood continued to give the Northside hitters consistently well-placed sets up front. But Pamlico County would win three out of the final four points, taking the game 25-22.

With a spot at the top of the conference on the line, both teams battled each other and the inevitable exhaustion that comes with a five-game match. Kills from Guimbal and Sparrow widened the Hurricanes lead to five at one point, but Northside powered back, cutting the lead to one after two big blocks from Woolard. However, Pamlico County finished on a 5-1 run and closed out the match.

Adams finished with eight kills, while sophomore Rachel Lang notched four kills.

With the loss, the Panthers drop to 8-5 (6-2 Coastal Plains).

Northside will look to keep pace in the conference when it travels to Williamston on Tuesday to take on Bear Grass.