BOONVILLE - With a rematch against bitter rival North Surry looming one round away, Starmount made quick work of third-round opponent Central Davidson.
The Lady Rams rolled through the Warriors, 25-14, 25-14, 25-14 Thursday night to set up a third meeting with the Hounds in the 2A state quarterfinals.
In the first set, Starmount jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back.
The Rams reeled off eight-straight points to grab a 17-7 advantage, leading to a Central timeout. Starmount closed out the first game on an 8-7 run to win 25-14.
In the second set, the Warriors took their first lead of the match at 2-1 as the teams traded points to open the game. With the set tied 7-7, Haley Hartman served the Rams to six-straight points as Starmount racked up 1o of the next 11 points to take a 17-8 lead.
From there, Starmount withstood a small run before Sydney Caudle smack a service ace to give the Rams a 2-0 advantage.
In the final game, Starmount came out on fire, reeling off 11 of the first 12 points and quickly took a 16-3 lead.
The Warriors caught their breath and cut the lead to eight at 20-12, but a determined Rams side closed out the match on a 5-2 burst to complete the sweep.
Ashton Gregory led the way for Starmount with 15 kills and two blocks on the night, while Hunter Welborn added seven kills and four blocks.
Hartman finished with three kills and 11 digs with Josie Matthews tacking on seven kills, 10 digs and two blocks. Erin Barr racked up 33 assists on the night, while Caudle added 10 digs.
The Lady Rams will return to the court in the Elite Eight against rival North Surry Saturday afternoon.
The match is slated to begin at 5 p.m. in Boonville.
Reach Matthew Gorry at 835-1513 or mgorry@heartlandpublications.com.


















