Colin Vedros | Times Intern
Natchitoches Central High School is set to kick off their fall athletic season with volleyball and football. NCHS Lady Chiefs Volleyball started their season with scrimmage wins in varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams against the West Monroe Lady Rebels Aug. 24. The Lady Chiefs Varsity team took control of the first set 28-26, dropped the second set 24-26, and dominated the last two sets; 25-16 in the third and 25-21 in the fourth. “I couldn’t be prouder of all the girls and how well we worked together tonight,” head coach Kerri Kiracofe said after the win
coming from West Monroe.
“Winning the first set was a tough battle.” Gracie Moore, #1 for the Lady Chiefs, led the way with 22 digs, 11 kills, 17 assists, one ace and one block in Tuesday’s contest. Bailey Newlee, #5, kept the Rebels in check with 15 digs, 11 kills and five aces.
Addison Teddlie, #17, came in clutch with 23 assists, as well as three digs and six aces. “It was great to see us measure up against a different opponent, evaluate some girls, some areas we need to improve on, and watch us compete,” Kiracofe said. The team is looking forward to hosting C.E. Byrd Thursday night at Natchitoches Central.
For JV, the Lady Chiefs swept the Lady Rebels 2-0 with NCHS winning 25-13 in the first set and 25-4 in the second. “We did an impressive job of controlling the ball which helped us control the tempo of the game,” Coach Amy Moore said. “Sidney Hicks was amazing moving the ball across the net to all the hitters and Ainsely Weeks’s aggressive serving helped us gain impressive leads to help us win our first game of the season.”
Hicks, #11, played a key role in the win with one dig, two aces and eight assists, followed by Weeks, #3, with five digs and 14 aces. Much the same from the freshman team; NCHS comes out on top 2-0 against West Monroe.
“Our team worked really hard this preseason to develop their fundamental skills and it showed tonight, especially with our serving and all the aces we picked up tonight,” Hannah Danna, freshman coach, said about Tuesday’s win. Sydney Terrel, #22, scored eight aces and two assists in the win. Kathryn Phelps, #19, notched one dig, seven aces and one kill.
“I look forward to continuing watching these girls develop as the season continues and getting better every day,” Danna said. “Tonight was a good start, and I’m excited to see how high this freshman class will go.”
