Eagles breeze by Wildcats, sweep Kinston for area title
Published 1:53 pm Friday, October 15, 2021
- The Pleasant Home Eagles defended their home court with two sweeps for the 1A Area 2 championship Thursday. Pictured are, from left, Head Coach Tony Wilson, Meredith Wilson, Hailey Ward, Emily Taylor, Lexi Straughan, Amy Garner, Jill Hawkins, Bailey Johnson, Hope Warthen, Emily Price, Marion Bradley, and Assistant Coach Shannon Aplin.
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Pleasant Home won all six sets of the 1A Area 2 Tournament against Florala and Kinston for the area crown at home Thursday.
First Semifinal: (1) Pleasant Home vs. (4) Florala
A kill by Hope Warthen and an ace from Lexi Straughan gave the Eagles (18-6) an early 2-0 lead in the opening set. Cheyenne Regan put the Wildcats (4-11) on the board with a block to make the score 4-1. Hailey Ward had an ace followed by a kill from Amy Garner as the lead grew to 7-2. Claire Woodham delivered a kill as FHS cut the deficit to 9-5. Ward notched three kills, and aces off Emily Taylor and Meredith Wilson propelled PHS to a 21-6 advantage. After a timeout, Wilson executed another ace while a kill by Ward closed out the set, 25-6.

Florala’s Megan Odom, left, and Pleasant Home’s Hope Warthen battle one another at the net in a 1A Area 2 Tournament semifinal match.
PHS began the second set with a 2-0 margin, but Kyndra Anthony capped a four-point swing as FHS took a 4-2 lead. Following a service error, Ward was electric with nine aces including seven in a row. The 12-0 run gave the Eagles a 14-4 cushion. Regan blistered a kill as the Wildcats closed the gap back to single digits at 14-6. Pleasant Home then reeled off a 10-0 surge with two kills by Garner and one from Wilson. Jill Hawkins dialed up an ace for set point before a block off Regan. Anthony used an ace as Florala tallied its ninth point. Garner hit a thundering kill and ended the set, 25-9, for a commanding 2-0 lead.
Two aces from Megan Odom coupled with another block by Regan gave Florala a 3-0 lead in the third set. Straughan brought Pleasant Home within one on an ace, and Garner broke even at 3-3 with a kill. Anthony added another kill as FHS regained a 5-3 margin. The two rivals continued to trade points as neither side led by more than a point. Chloe Russell made the score 9-8 before PHS grabbed momentum back and led 15-11. The Wildcats caught a break on a service error but then went cold again and trailed 20-13. Bailey Johnson knocked a kill to reach match point, and Garner served an ace for a 25-14 win.
Second Semifinal: (2) Kinston vs. (3) Samson
Samson forced four sets in the second semi-final, but Kinston held on and reached the tournament title game with a 3-1 win.
Championship Match: (1) Pleasant Home vs. (2) Kinston
The Eagles dispatched the Bulldogs (24-8) 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-19) in the final match of the day.

Kinston’s Sydney Smith, left, braces for a block attempt off a swing from Pleasant Home’s Amy Garner.
Both teams advance to the South Super Regional in Montgomery next week. Pleasant Home meets Area 6 runner-up Notasulga while Kinston battles Area 6 winner Autaugaville. Both matches are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 21 at 11:30 a.m.
Author’s Note: Allie Garner contributed to this story.