Sherwood Christian sweeps undefeated Valwood

ALBANY — Three region matches in four days tested Sherwood Christian.

By Thursday night, the Lady Eagles looked like a team that had learned something from every one of them.

Sherwood handed previously unbeaten Valwood its first loss of the season with a 25-16, 27-25, 25-21 sweep in a key region match at Sherwood Christian.

The victory improved the Lady Eagles to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in region play.

“From start to finish, we knew what our job was, and every person showed up and executed,” Sherwood coach Briana Collins said. “We played tonight like a well-oiled machine and continued to minimize errors through the night and secured a big win.”

It completed an important three-match stretch for Sherwood.

The Lady Eagles opened the week with a home loss to Grace Christian on Monday before going on the road and beating Georgia Christian. They returned home Thursday and produced perhaps their most impressive performance of the young season against unbeaten Valwood.

“A straight-sets win was just what the doctor ordered,” Sherwood athletic director Jay Flynt said. “This 3-0 match win was huge for the Lady Eagles playing their third region match in the week.”

Sherwood established control early, taking the opening set 25-16.

Valwood provided a much tougher challenge in the second, but the Lady Eagles prevailed 27-25 before finishing the match with a 25-21 victory in the third.

Lizzy Roberts led Sherwood’s attack with nine kills, while Lizzie Hooks created problems from the service line with seven aces.

Bella Mullis and Melia Mallard teamed up for strong play at the net, while libero Maddie Mallard anchored the defense by averaging five digs per set.

The victory gives Sherwood momentum heading into another home match Friday with Mount DeSales and Monday against Scintilla Charter Academy.