OLIN, N.C — All good things must come to an end.
This proverb is demonstrated in all facets of life, and it definitely is present in the sports world.
Streaks are made to be broken no matter how long-lasting, and this rings true for the Fred T. Foard High varsity volleyball team.
On Monday, Aug. 30, the Lady Tigers saw its 34-match winning streak vanish at the hands of the North Iredell Lady Raiders (6-0, 1-0 WFAC). Also with that loss, Foard ended a 690 day reign as a member of the unbeaten club.
After coming off of its toughest match to date against Watauga on Aug. 26 — who was the last team to beat Foard on Oct. 10, 2019 — it was in for a rude awakening in its road contest with North Iredell.
Both programs came into the newly-formed Western Foothills 3A Athletic Conference clash with unblemished marks: 4-0 for the Lady Tigers and 5-0 for the Lady Raiders.
Nevertheless, North Iredell was able to exact a level of revenge after losing to Foard at home on Aug. 26, 2019, 3-1.
Given that, it was quite apropos that the Lady Raiders would oust the two-time 2A state champions this time around. Much like the programs’ last encounter, it was once again in front of its home crowd.
North Iredell began by taking the opening set, 25-15. However, the Lady Tigers were able to respond with a 25-19 victory in set two.
This slight momentum would not last for long as the Lady Raiders championed out the final two sets for the 3-1 match win. Those scores were 25-19 and 25-13.
Leading the charge for North Iredell were Skylar Bolin and Emma Norris. Norris garnered 15 kills and three blocks while Bolin earned a match-best 16 kills and an ace on the serve. Madeline Sigmon also contributed with 15 kills of her own.
In terms of Foard, junior middle blocker Averie Dale led her squad with eight kills and a trio of blocks. While, junior outside hitter/defensive specialist Maya Beatty collected seven kills and 13 digs in the losing effort.
Senior leader and middle blocker Martina Foster rallied for four blocks on the night. Junior outside hitter Laney Craig followed suit with six kills while senior libero/defensive specialist Lyndsie Warren led both clubs with 19 digs.
Rounding out the match were senior setters Haley Johnston and Sarah Lingle as the pair obtained 16 and 12 assists, respectively. Lingle also chimed in with three blocks of her own while Johnston earned 15 digs.
With all of that effort, there still was not enough damage inflicted on the Lady Raiders. So, what’s next for the Lady Tigers? Where does the program go from here?
Losses hurt at the time, but Foard’s 4th-year head coach Meredith Lombardi said that losses are never a bad thing:
“It makes you realize you are human and mistakes happen. North Iredell is a great volleyball program, with strong hitters and a very strong defense,” she said. “We knew going in that it was going to be a great competition. There are some technical things that we need to improve on as a team and there’s no doubt that we will be ready to face them again on Sept. 22nd.
“Losing to a team like North Iredell, is humbling because you know that is a well respected program. From this loss, we need to grow as a team and come mentally prepared for practices\games each day. There is still a lot of season left to play, we are just getting started.”
Lombardi also said that in terms of the technical things to improve moving forward, the team needs to be more committed in finding its hitters, as well as setting a stronger block.
“North [Iredell] did a great job of moving their hits around our block. We’ve got to be more disciplined in pressing on the block,” she said. “Also, keeping our mentality in check. It’s easy to lose sight of things, when certain things aren’t going our way. We’ve got to stay focused and push through the obstacles.”
The next match on tap for the Lady Tigers (4-1, 0-1 WFAC) is another road contest against conference opponent Statesville on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 5:30 p.m. Foard was originally scheduled to compete at West Iredell on Wednesday, Sept. 1, but due to COVID-19 protocols, the match was postponed.
