Carson struggles, but still sweeps Hug

Well, one out of three isn't bad.

Carson High's volleyball squad played one good game en route to a 25-19, 25-11 and 25-16 win over Hug in a Division I volleyball match Thursday night at Morse Burley Gym.

The Senators are 7-3 overall and 1-1 in Division I play.

For most of the night, coach Robert Maw wore a concerned look on his face, not the type of look he should have had against the feisty Hawks. And, he admitted he wasn't thrilled with the performance.

"Especially that first game; the first and third games," Maw said. "We had five missed serves and we were hitting outside. The second game we got dialed in and did better on our serving.

"I'll take it (the win), though, because it get us going in the right direction. We played more as a team tonight than we did two days ago (against Reno)."

In the opening set, the teams were tied six different times - 1,2, 3, 8, 11 and 17-all. It was at that point that Carson pulled away, scoring eight of the next 10 points.

A misfire by Hug gave Carson an 18-17 lead, and then Kammy Forrest came up with two straight blocks for a 20-17 lead. After another Hug mistake made it 21-17, Xeant Laroza scored to make it 21-18.

Hug made three straight errors to make it 24-18, and then after Forrest's hit sailed long to make it 24-19, Mele Lotulelei served one into the net to give the Senators the win.

In the second game, Carson scored 15 of the set's first 16 points, and then scored five of the last six to end the game.

Leading 5-1, freshman Juliana Anderson served up five aces to lead a 10-0 run and give Carson a 15-0 lead. Hug failed to cleanly handle the serve. Forrest and Courtney Hack had kills in the surge.

"For a freshman, she continues to grow," Maw said of Anderson. "She is consistent. That is what you want to see."

Hug did get to 20-10, but two aces by Brooklyn Maw and a Forrest kill finished the middle game.

The third game resembled the first one, as the momentum that Carson had built in Game 2 melted away.

Hug led 7-6, but Carson took the lead for good with an 8-1 run and a 14-8 advantage. Anderson and Savannah Smith had kills, and Smith added two aces.

Hug didn't go away, closing to 14-10, 17-12 and 22-16 before the Senators were able to complete the sweep.