Jordan volleyball rides dominant opening to first round win

Jordan senior volleyball player Kaylah Jones admitted she was anxious as the Lady Jackets opened the first round of the Class 2A state tournament Tuesday.

Jones and her teammates excelled during the regular season and eventually won the Area 5-2A tournament with a big three-set win over Temple. But the first round match against Richmond County Technical Career Magnet was unchartered territory for the home team, leaving several players with a noticeable uneasiness.

A hot start, however, gave the Lady Red Jackets the confidence to cruise to victory.

Jordan set the tone with a 25-7 win in the first set before sealing the deal with set victories of 25-12 and 25-9. The Lady Jackets advance to the second round of the state tournament, which will be held Saturday with the opponent, time and location to be determined.

Jones finished the victory with 26 assists and 29 aces. Lariya LaGrand posted 71 kills and 33 blocks, Tytiana Morris had 72 digs and 34 aces, and Znyaha Bohannon recorded 68 digs and 41 kills.

“I thought the girls played well,” Jordan head coach Brandon Masters said. “I thought they were focused. The games got a little one-sided, and that’s when they tend to lose focus, but they were able to maintain that. That gives me hope for the later rounds. I was really happy with them today.”

Jordan had a week without matches following the area tournament title, which only added to the pressure that the opening set brought. Fortunately for Jordan, the confidence boost that came with early points put Jones and her teammates at ease.

“It calmed me down a lot,” Jones said. “I got loose and started playing like I know how to play. It helped us get more into the game.”

Masters said at this point, his players just need to keep doing what they’re doing. The Lady Red Jackets proved themselves repeatedly as a strong team during the regular season, and their dominant first-round win showed those early triumphs were no fluke.

Now, it’s up to players such as Jones to keep Jordan rolling through the postseason.

“We just want to keep pushing and keep working together as a team,” Jones said. “Hopefully, we’ll get all the way to state.”

This story was originally published October 17, 2017 at 8:43 PM with the headline "Jordan volleyball rides dominant opening to first round win."