Ellis’ varsity volleyball team took down Central Wilkes, Sacred Heart and North Davie last week to remain undefeated.

The Jaguars are 4-0, winning each match in straight sets.

In a home match against Central Wilkes, the Jags put their foot on the gas and never let up. Jessie Crosby started things off going four out of five serving with three aces to stake Ellis to a 4-1 lead. After Ellis was able to regain serve, Zoe Clark took over the set. With her laser-like serves and pin-point accuracy, Clark extended the Jags’ lead to 20-2 by going on a 15-for-15 run that included 10 aces. Kayla Moore and Dakota Hutchins had one kill each, with Hutchins adding an ace of her own.

In the second and deciding set, a 25-11 Ellis win, Abby Sloane led the way going six of seven while serving three aces.

“In addition to her serving, Abby has done a good job as one of our setters,” coach Beth Hall-Love said. “She routinely gives our hitters a good chance for a kill.”

Jessie Crosby (5-5, 3 aces, 2 kills), Zoe Clark (3-3, 2 aces, team-high 3 kills) Dakota Hutchins (4-4, 2 aces), Allie Angel (3-3, 1 kill) Kayla Moore and Anna Ortiz (one kill each) rounded out the stat sheet.

The next day at Sacred Heart, the Jaguars won by scores of 25-11, 25-19. Behind the serving arms of Jessie Crosby (5-5, 2 aces) and Zoe Clark (7-8, 6 aces), the Jags jumped out to a 13-2 lead in the first set and never looked back. Kayla Moore (2-2, ace, kill) Dakota Hutchins (ace, 2 kills) and Salem Stewart contributed to the 25-11 win.

Even though Ellis took the second set by a score of 25-19, Hall-Love was not entirely pleased with how the team executed on offense.

“We got a little sloppy with our hitting,” she said. “We squandered several kill opportunities by hitting the ball long. We will definitely need to work on that during practice.”

Hutchins led the team with three kills, with Moore and Crosby adding one each. Crosby and Clark were the leaders from the serving line, both going six out of seven with four aces.

On Sept. 14, North Davie lost 2-0 at North Wilkes and South Davie lost 2-0 to visiting Forbush.

Two days later, Ellis punished visiting North Davie in two sets. Jessie Crosby started Ellis off in a big way, going 10 for 11 to start the match with eight aces to give Ellis a 10-1 lead. From there, Ellis never looked back, taking the first set 25-5. Abby Sloane went five for five with one ace, while Hutchins closed out the set going five for five with three aces.

“Our serving has been our biggest strength so far this season,” Hall-Love said.

The Jags continued to display that strength in the second set. They were 23 for 23 from the line with 15 aces. Crosby led the way again, going 13 for 13. A 9-for-9 streak that included eight of her team-high 10 aces secured the set and match for Ellis by a score of 25-10. Salem Stewart finished five for five with three aces, while Kayla Moore and Hutchins added one ace each.

“We’re happy with our record so far, but we know that we still have things to work on,” Hall-love said.

On Sept. 17, Wesleyan traveled from High Point to Farmington to take on South Davie and North Davie. Wesleyan beat both county teams in two sets. South fell to 1-3, while North tumbled to 1-4.

Junior Varsity

Ellis’ junior varsity is also undefeated, sporting a 3-0 record with all victories in two sets.

Ellis beat Central Wilkes 25-21, 25-13 on Sept. 14. In the first set, Ellis started slow, falling behind by a score of 3-1. Presley Jones took over behind the serving line, going five for five with two aces to give Ellis a 6-4 lead. With neither team able to get a scoring run going, both teams traded points until Ellis had an 18-17 lead. Behind the serving arm of Carmen Tomlin and kills from Angela Zamora and Sarah Bracken, Ellis took control to take the first set 25-21. Presley Jones and Carmen Tomlin led with five service points each.

Tomlin stayed hot in the second set, serving for nine straight points. But not before Ellis fell beind 6-1. After a quick timeout and a pep talk from coach Samantha Wallace, the Jags began to claw their way back and took their first lead of the set at 10-9. From there, Ellis cruised to take the set and match 25-13. Tomlin once again had the hot arm from the serving line, hitting nine serves in a row. Presley Jones contributed two more aces to the effort.

North Davie lost 2-0 at North Wilkes on Sept. 14.

Ellis rolled past visiting North Davie (1-3) on Sept. 16, winning 25-6, 25-14. The Ellis serves were nearly untouchable. Elizabeth Tilley started the first-set rout by going four for four with three aces. After North Davie scored a point, Jones stepped up to the line and went five for five with five aces to give Ellis a 10-3 lead. The Jags quickly got the serve back and Sarah Bracken just about put the set away singlehandedly by going 12 for 12 with eight aces.

In the second set against North Davie, the Ellis serve cooled off somewhat and allowed the Wildcats to stay in the game. With score tied 8-8, the Jaguar arms began to heat up again. Tilley stayed hot from the serving line, going five for five with three aces to help Ellis open up a 13-9 lead. For the match, Tilley led the Jaguars in serving, finishing 10 for 10 with four aces. Emerson Justice closed out the match with a 5-for-5 run that included four aces. Angela Zamora kicked in two aces.

After the match, head coach, Samantha Wallace, stated that

“Sarah Bracken has been dominant at the net, leading the team in kills and blocks.” Wallace said. “Carmen Tomlin and Angela Zamora have a done a great job from the back row by making great digs and passes to help set up our offense.

“Coach (Becky) Little and I are proud of how well the girls have been working together so far this season and looking forward to helping them to continue to improve and grow as individuals while developing into a strong team.”

After losing to North Wilkes and Ellis, South Davie picked up its first win, beating Forbush 2-0 at home. Carly Wall made an impact in her first match as a member of the team.

“Everyone served great, including a new addition to the team (Wall),” coach Gloria Chalmers said. “We worked well as a team and had better communication.”