Story by: Travis Tessandori

The Andalusia High School Lady Bulldogs got the volleyball season started off strong with a sweep over the Kinston Lady Bulldogs on Thursday night in Andalusia.

The match was played as a best-of-five series that saw Andalusia take three sets in a row, 25-21, 25-15 and 25-10.

Set one was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Bulldogs pull away late, and when to close it out, 25-21.

The final point was scored on an early celebration by Kinston.

After a good turn, Kinston’s team turned to gather in the center of the court to celebrate, but a nice play off the net kept the ball alive, before the Bulldogs got the ball over the net for the match point.

The second set was won in dominant fashion for the bulldogs, 25-15.

Andalusia took control of a 23-9 lead, before a slight Kinston run made the score respectable.

The third and final set was taken over by freshman Isa Reyes, as she served the way to ten straight Bulldog points, before the set ended 25-10.

The incredible streak saw the Bulldog’s lead grow from 8-6 to an eventual 18-6.

That stretch saw four kills, two of those belonging to Tori English, and an ace from Reyes.

Anna Brady had 12 kills in the match, followed by English’s 10.

The team collectively had 24 on the night.

Andalusia head coach Angie Grimes was pleased with the improvements on the offensive side of the court.

“We worked a lot this summer to have a stronger offense,” Grimes said. “That looked solid tonight. We still have a lot to work on, though. Some small communication errors here and there. Those are nothing we can’t overcome. Overall, I am proud of what they did tonight.”

Andalusia improved to 1-0 on the season, while Kinston fell to 0-1.

Andalusia will travel in the upcoming weeks, before returning home on Sept. 14 to take on Ashford in their first area match up.