By By Matthew Nascone
The past week has brought mixed emotions for the Escambia Academy Lady Cougars volleyball team. The squad took down Wilcox Academy 3-0 (25-11, 25-10, 26-24) Monday for its second regional win of the season.
"The girls played really well in that match," EA head coach Keri Payne said. "I hope that win will boost their spirits some."
With the win the Lady Cougars (4-5, 2-2) equaled their win total from the entire 2006 season. Payne said she hopes the momentum from the match will propel EA past last year's total in wins.
EA freshman Amber Huskey scored 10 points on her serve with five aces. Junior Lauren Wilson had seven points. Sophomore Jordan Jaye had six points, one ace and two kills. Clare Jones contributed two kills and two assists and senior Talerie Singleton and junior Macey Singleton added one kill each.
Jackson 25 25 25
EA 15 5 14
The Lady Cougars took on Jackson Academy in Jackson last Thursday and lost 3-0 (25-15, 25-5, 25-14).
"Jackson is beatable," Payne said. "But we just did not play well in that match. I don't know what happened. They might have thought they had the match since Jackson lost some players from last year, but they went out there and were not focused."
The Lady Cougars also lost starter freshman Taylor Helton to a shoulder injury.
"She (Taylor) is a good server and hitter for us," Payne said. "So when she went down we missed her offense."
And the Lady Cougars were hindered on defense when Talerie Singleton went down with a rolled ankle.
"She stayed in there and played, but she could not jump as well and she is a good defensive player for us, so that hurt," Payne said.
She said the injuries sidelined the rest of the team.
"After those injuries, we really went down hill in that second set," she said. "We picked it up in the third, but we could not come all the way back."
Huskey had two aces in the match, Macey Singleton had one ace, Jaye had three kills and Jones had three assists.
C. Prep 25 25 25
EA 13 9 16
The Sept. 11 battle with Clarke Prep Academy for the Lady Cougars of EA ended in a 3-0 (25-13, 25-9, 25-16) loss.
"Clarke Prep came out strong in the beginning and we lost focus early," Payne said. "Every point they had was a bump, set and hit. We made a little comeback in the third set, but it was too late."
Huskey scored 10 points on her serve, Jaye had four kills, Jones had three assists and Talerie Singleton had two kills.
The Lady Cougars faced Marengo Tuesday and the results will be in an upcoming Advance. The squad's next match is set for Sept. 24 at home against Jackson in a regional match.