Varsity Volleyball

The varsity girls volleyball season came to a disappointing end with a 3-2 loss at Grace Christian Thursday night in the 3A state tournament second round. The Warriors won the first two sets, but the Eagles came all the way back to advance. “We played great in the first two sets, then made some mistakes,” said coach Romel Lightbourn, whose team finished 10-11. “Grace executed when they needed down the stretch and played phenomenal defense.” Junior Olivia Leshnock earned All-Conference honors, while senior Lindsey Klinck was named Honorable Mention.

The Warriors volleyball team advanced to the second round of the 3A state playoffs with a 3-0 home sweep of Calvary Day School of Winston-Salem Tuesday. St. David’s won 25-10, 25-7 and 25-16 to even its record at 10-10 and earn a trip to #7 Grace Christian Thursday. “We’ve only had one practice because of Fall Break, so it was good to get the rust off,” said coach Romel Lightbourn. “We have to be twice as locked in for Grace. They play great defense and are scrappy.” The Warriors lost both regular season matches to the Eagles in five sets after early leads in both. “I like our chances,” said Lightbourn. “It will be fun to go over there and give it our best.” 

The varsity volleyball team snapped a six-match losing streak with a 3-0 sweep over Wesleyan Christian Academy of High Point Tuesday on Senior Night. The Warriors prevailed 25-16, 25-16 and 25-19 to end the regular season with a 9-10 record. “It was great to get a win over anybody,” said coach Romel Lightbourn. “I think we’ve established some momentum going into the state tournament and it was good to have a positive sendoff for the seniors.” Sarah Dean Barbour, Vivian Edwards, Lindsey Klinck, Karis New, Mary Kate Stahl and Katy Teague were recognized in a pre-game ceremony. The Warriors await Sunday’s seeding meeting to find out their post-season fate.   

The varsity volleyball Warriors held a two sets to one lead over undefeated Parrott Academy, but lost 3-2, Thursday at home. St. David’s wore pink jerseys to support breast cancer research and awareness. The Warriors (8-10) lost the first set 25-19, then came back for 25-19 and 25-14 victories before dropping the last two sets 25-15 and 17-15. “It was a great match against a great team,” said coach Romel Lightbourn. “It was a battle for momentum all night and they had it at the end.” St. David’s finishes the regular season at home Tuesday against High Point Wesleyan. The JV Warriors ran their record to 9-4 with a 25-20, 25-17 victory over the Patriots. 

The varsity volleyball Warriors lost a marathon battle with undefeated Cary Christian, 3-2, Thursday night at home. The Knights (18-0) entered the contest as the top ranked team in 3A, but the Warriors pushed them to five difficult sets. St. David’s won the first (25-17) and fourth (25-22), while the Knights took the second (25-23), third (25-19) and fifth (15-10). “There were a few crucial moments that didn’t go our way,” said coach Romel Lightbourn, whose team is 8-8. “We had heart and fight and worked well together against a quality opponent.”

The Warriors volleyball team took the first two sets against Grace Christian Monday at home, but the Eagles fought back for a 3-2 victory. St. David’s won 25-20 and 26-24, but couldn’t close out the match as Grace rallied 25-17, 25-23 and 15-11. “They outplayed us,” said coach Romel Lightbourn, whose team is 8-6. “We’ll regroup and see if we can do better at Parrott tomorrow.”  

The Warriors varsity volleyball team won for the fifth time in the last six matches with a 3-0 sweep of the Carolina Mustangs home-schooled team Tuesday at home. St. David’s battled for a 25-23, 25-23, 29-27 victory in a match that featured multiple lead changes in all three sets. “It was as close as it possibly could be with us still winning,” said coach Romel Lightbourn, whose team is now 8-4. “They are a good team that always plays scrappy defense, so we knew we had to run our offense better and finish the play. We did that just enough to win.” 

The varsity volleyball Warriors earned a hard-fought 3-0 sweep of St. Mary’s Thursday at home. St. David’s trailed most of the first set, but won 25-23, took the second set 25-21, then completed the match with a 25-17 victory. “We got rolling in the middle of the match,” said coach Romel Lightbourn. “We need to be ready from the start and play hard throughout. We have a chance to have a really good season, but we need to be more consistent.” St. David’s is 7-4 and hosts the Carolina Mustangs Tuesday. 

The varsity volleyball Warriors beat Ravenscroft for the first time in four years, 3-0, Friday at home. St. David’s swept the match 25-15, 25-16 and 25-21 behind a strong first set and solid play in all phases. “Our matches with them have usually gone to five sets,” said coach Romel Lightbourn, whose team is 5-3. “We’ve been close, but tonight we played with more energy, executed what we work on in practice and stayed focused. This is the way we are capable of playing every match, but we need to bring it against everybody, not just Ravenscroft.” St. David’s is at Village Christian in Fayetteville Tuesday. 

The varsity Warriors defeated Fayetteville Academy, 3-0, Wednesday in Fayetteville. St. David’s bounced back from Tuesday’s home loss to Cary Academy with a dominant 25-9, 25-3, 25-7 victory. “I’m pleased with the way we responded,” said coach Romel Lightbourn, whose team is 4-3. “We adjusted our defense and focused heavily on transition footwork. We had no chance to practice, so I thought we executed pretty well.” Sarah Dean Barbour served nine straight points in the first set and Vivian Edwards reeled off 15 straight in the second. The JV Warriors also prevailed over FA, 25-6 and 25-15 to go to 2-0. Both teams host Ravenscroft Friday beginning at 4:15 p.m.

The Warriors varsity volleyball team dropped a hard-fought 3-2 decision to Cary Academy in the home opener Tuesday. St. David’s (3-3) lost the first set, then battled back for a 2-1 lead with 25-20, 25-19 victories. The Chargers rallied for a 25-21 fourth set win, then took the tiebreaker, 16-14. “We didn’t earn enough points,” said coach Romel Lightbourn. “We scored off their mistakes, but couldn’t get enough points from our offense. We need to play better defense and mentally prepare to be ready to play from the first point.” St. David’s is back in action Wednesday at Fayetteville Academy. 

The varsity volleyball Warriors went 3-2 at the Cougar Classic hosted by Calvary Day School in Winston-Salem over the weekend. St. David’s went 3-1 in pool play with 2-0 victories over Gaston Day, Coastal Christian and Calvary Day School, who played in the 2A state tournament last year and  a loss (2-0) to last year's 3A runner-up High Point Christian. The Warriors lost to Southlake Christian of Charlotte, 2-0 in Saturday’s semi-finals. “I'm very pleased and excited about the way we played this weekend” said coach Romel Lightbourn. "We've accomplished a lot in a short period of time and this weekend against this kind of competition helped us learn what we need to do to continue to improve. Based on our play this weekend, I am excited about the season."