Oak Hall Downs P.K. Yonge After Back-And-Forth Battle

The P.K. Yonge Blue Wave were defeated at home by Oak Hall in a District 1-2A volleyball match Thursday.

The match was a close battle, with Oak Hall barely winning all three sets, 25-22, 25-19, 25-23.

Blue Wave Swept

The Blue Wave (2-13) surged to a 7-3 lead in the first set, as seventh-grader Holdyn Moore contributed a pair of kills. P.K. Yonge coach Chancie Vice said Moore was on point.

“She is special. She reminds me of a mixture of Meme David and Brooklyn Tealer. She has Brooklyn Tealer’s attitude but Meme Davis’s athleticism, and it’s fun to watch. It’s challenging for her because she is only 12. She’s so young. She jumps out of the gym, she swings super hard and I think what I love the most about Holdyn is that she’s not scared to make a mistake.” – Chancie Vice

The first set was characterized by numerous unforced errors on both sides and points conceded on serve. Despite the early lead by the Blue Wave, Oak Hall (11-2) ultimately claimed the set 25-22.

Oak Hall takes the first set in with a hard fought score of 25-22 pic.twitter.com/Kcb3liIPCo

— Dalton Sallengs (@DSallengs) September 19, 2024

The second set was another back-and-forth battle, with the Blue Wave attempting to catch up for most of the set. The score remained close, often differing by just one point. Oak Hall pulled away by scoring five unanswered points to take the lead 21-15 before winning the second set 25-19.

The Eagles take the second set 25-19, giving them a 2-0 lead in the match! pic.twitter.com/rhlFZZ5PRZ

— Dalton Sallengs (@DSallengs) September 19, 2024

The Blue Wave took the lead with a 16-9 advantage in a tightly contested third set. Senior Trinity Jacobs contributed by serving four aces during a 9-0 run.

“One of the very few players who can handle pressure,” Vice said of Jacobs. “When it comes to not making unforced errors, she’s definitely the go-to player that you can lean on for sure. She is our lone senior and she has really stepped up and taken on the senior responsibilities … she is a great teammate.”

However, Oak Hall staged a comeback to tie the set at 19-19. After a fierce battle, Oak Hall secured the set with a 25-23 victory to clinch the match.

Game, set, match. Eagles get the victory over the Blue Wave in a closely contested third set. 25-23 closed it out, as the Eagles won in straight sets. pic.twitter.com/2FHfNMdgD6

— Dalton Sallengs (@DSallengs) September 19, 2024

It All Comes Down To Confidence

Despite the Blue Wave’s record, Vice attributes a lot of what was seen on the scoreboard to the lack of confidence.

“I think what we really struggled with tonight was leadership and finding that will to win,” Vice said. “We’re struggling a bit with confidence right now because our record is not where we want it to be. It’s definitely not a reflection of our program … so it’s just managing the feelings in our players to be able to understand that their confidence can’t come from our record. Their confidence has to come from what they do and they leave on the court.”

Up Next

The Blue Wave host Union County (10-7) for a non-district 6:30 p.m. match Tuesday.