Edison Remains Unbeaten in National District Play

Eagles Use a Well-Rounded Attack to Pull Out a 25-22, 16-25, 25-16, 25-23 Win Over Visiting Yorktown

At the beginning of the season, second-year Edison Coach Matt Merante said his biggest complaint was that his players weren’t well-conditioned enough.

“To be honest, we lost a couple of five-game matches earlier this year that I think was largely due to our conditioning,” Merante said. “So we focused on just being a little more fit and working harder in practice, and it has definitely paid off.”

	Edison didn’t need a decided fifth game Thursday night against vistiting Yorktown, partically because its new-found strength late in a match allowed it to withstand a furious rally by the Patriots. The Eagles were ahead 2-games-to-1 and held a comfortable 21-14 lead in the fourth game. But Yorktown, led by hard-swinging sophomore Elyse Bush and senior Sara Sims, rallied to tie the game at 22. Edison did not fold. Instead it was Yorktown that began to self-destruct, affected by three unforced errors down the stretch. The combination proved a 25-22, 16-25, 25-16, 25-23 victory for the Eagles, who improved to 9-6 overall and 3-0 in the National District. “This win feels really, really good,” said middle blocker Nora Abamukong, one of seven seniors on the Eagles’ roster. “We really wanted to beat Yorktown last year and didn’t, so it was one of our main goals on our goal sheet again this year. And that we did it is very exciting. “I think we’ve bonded really well and we’ve picked it up over the years as we’ve matured. I think this is the best team so far in Edison history.”
Edison senior libero Brittney Louis (2) and middle blocker Teri Dua (3) prepare to receive a service from visiting Yorktown Thursday.

The Eagles were well-balanced Thursday, with senior outside hitter Crystal Douglas leading the team with 12 kills, junior setter Ariell Thompson totaling 15 service points and four aces and senior libero Brittney Louis leading the team in digs. Junior middle blocker Lisa Kindred also played well at the net, as did senior hitters Elizabeth Gillispie and Teri Dua, and senior Caitlin Hayes was solid defensively.

“Yorktown did have some unforced errors that hurt them, but I also think we made sure to take advantage of it,” Merante said. “We have to do is just keep getting better at the little things, but playing as a team tonight was crucial. We’ve had some kids step it up one night but then be downt he next .. but tonight everyone had a nice game.”

** To see complete highlights from Thursday’s match, as well as a video
interview with Edison seniors Teri Dua and Caitlin Hayes, click on the
“Volleyball” sports central link at the top of the home page.