The Midway Lady Raiders got a straight set win over East Bladen’s Lady Eagles Thursday and never felt the stress of close games that they have seen so often. The home team posted scores of 25-15, 25-12, and 25-13.

In game 1, the Lady Raiders scored the first 5 points. A

Savannah Spell kill put them up 9-2 and East Bladen never got any closer. They did close to 8, at 23-15, but Midway prevailed 25-15.

The 2nd games was even lest competitive. Midway got a 6-0 start and never let the Lady Eagles get in the game. They coasted to a 13 point win.

The final set was more of the same, except Midway coach Jennifer Naylor played a lot of combinations to experiment on what could be used later, considering the Lady Raiders’ short bench. East Bladen got as close as 11-8, forcing a Midway timeout. The home team responded and went on a 14-5 run to close out the visitors.

“This was a big first conference win,” declared Naylor. “We focused on good competition in non-conference play so we would be ready for the conference and it paid off. We had great communication and senior captain Emily Hairr showed great leadership on the back line. Coming off a four game losing streak, this is a big win.”

For the Lady Raiders, Autumn Byrd had 20 assists. Brittany Watson provided 7 kills, while Alyssa Wrench added 6 to go along with 4 blocks. Taylor Faircloth contributed 6 kills and Spell had 5. Leah Williams supplied 8 digs.

The Lady Raiders improve to 5-5. They will travel to Pender on Tuesday. The Lady Eagles fall to 2-4.

By Danny McDowell

Sports Writer

Midway freshman Alyssa Wrench goes for a kill Thursday versus East Bladen.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_vballebladen-008.jpgMidway freshman Alyssa Wrench goes for a kill Thursday versus East Bladen.