Rose enjoys challenge from visiting Hoggard

Seconds before the start of Saturday's state playoff volleyball match, J.H. Rose coach Norm Cabacar clapped his hands and told his team to “have some fun.”

Despite an early surge by visiting Wilmington Hoggard, it was the Rampants who had the most fun during the match.

Rose advanced to the 4-A Eastern finals with a 25-21, 25-21, 25-12 sweep. It was the first time the undefeated Rampants (23-0) were tested the entire playoffs. Rose had won its first three playoffs matches in dominating fashion.

“We needed this,” Cabacar said. “There have been some good teams to come in here, but we have been able to break away from them midway (through the match). This is the first team that has pushed us to the end, and we needed that. We needed to be challenged because Tuesday night's match will be a barn burner.”

J.H. Rose will host Enloe on Tuesday with the winner advancing to next Saturday's state championship match in Raleigh.

Hoggard (19-7) had the upper hand early in Game 1 on Saturday, jumping out to a five-point lead in the opening minutes.

Cabacar called a timeout with the score at 7-3, and his team responded by slowly chipping away at the lead until it finally pulled through at the end.

The Rampants scored four unanswered points to take a 16-15 lead and later had a string of five points to hold a 24-19 advantage. Emily Neideffer had three kills during that stretch and ended the game with a kill to give the Rampants a 25-21 win despite the pesky effort by the Vikings.

“I called that timeout because I could tell the momentum was not where it needed to be,” Cabacar said. “Our team needed to get out there and get focused because Hoggard came ready to play. We wanted that first game because we wanted to put the pressure on them.”

The win was Rose's third over Hoggard this season.

Neideffer had 14 kills and seven digs. She got some help from Caroline Douglas in the final two games, as J.H. Rose used the momentum it gained from the Game 1 rally to finish off the Vikings.

The teams exchanged multiple leads throughout the second game until Rose scored the final four points after the game was tied at 21-21.

Douglas, who finished with 14 kills and 10 digs, started the rally with a kill and Neideffer ended Game 2 with an ace.

“That second game was just as important (as the first), because we could breathe a little bit after it,” Cabacar said.

JHR's Emily Mannie has 22 assists and Jamie DeRatt had 13 digs.

Contact Ronnie Woodward at rwoodward@reflector.com or (252) 329-9592.