It was a perfect Senior Night for Carson High's volleyball team Thursday night at Morse Burley Gym.
Not only did Carson pummel Wooster in three straight games - 25-10, 25-10, 25-14 - but the Senators also clinched a playoff spot in the upcoming 4A playoffs. The sweep took all of 56 minutes to accomplish.
Carson, thanks to 14 service aces, improved to 9-5 with road games left against Manogue (Tuesday) and Galena (Wednesday).
For the second time this season, assistant coach Robert Maw ran the team in place of head coach Justin Malley, who had a previous engagement. Maw ran the Senators the first time they played Wooster, and he was victorious in that one, too.
"It was an easy match," Maw said. "The girls played really well. They played loose and fluid. They played hard and had a lot of fun.
"Our biggest weapon was our serving. We don't just serve all the time. We try to mix it up."
Leading just 7-5 in the opening game, Carson scored 11 of the next 14 points for an 18-8 lead. Jeanette Van Sickle, who finished with 11 kills and five aces, had a kill and ace in that surge. Elysse Virden and Alyson Christl also had a kill apiece in that stretch.
With Elizabeth Bennet-Doran at the service line, Carson scored the final six points of the game. Wooster shot itself in the foot with a service error, two wide spikes and a bad set.
The second game wasn't much different, as Carson scored the game's first six points thanks to two kills by Van Sickle and one by Makayla Drahos. Wooster did close to 9-6, but Carson put the game away with a 9-1 run to grab an 18-7 advantage. Tiana McAllister-Daggs had a kill and service ace in the surge while Angela Augusta served up two aces. Virden had two of her four kills in the run.
Wooster scored the first three points of the third game, taking advantage of some sloppy play by the Senators.
Carson roared back, scoring 11 of the next 13 points for an 11-5 lead. Van Sickle had a kill and then served up four straight aces for the Senators. Drahos added an aces as did Kristalei Wolfe. After Wooster trimmed the lead to 12-7, Carson went on a 5-0 run. Wolfe had an ace, Drahos a one-handed tip that fell untouched and Virden added her last kill of the match.