Northshore volleyball coach Danny Davis said his team is still a work in progress as the Panthers went into a match against District 6-I rival Mandeville down two starters.
If Wednesday's result is any indication, that work is right on schedule.
The Panthers controlled play at the net en route to a dominating 25-23, 25-18, 25-13 home victory on Oct. 16.
"We played lights out and were great as a team with tremendous communication. I wanted to be active, keeping their defense guessing by moving my shots around," said Northshore senior outside hitter Mariah Hammond (16 kills, five blocks, five digs and three aces).
Hammond was the benefactor of quality sets from junior Emily Martin (24 assists), while sophomore libero Gracie Schaff finished with 29 digs. Sophomore Laynie Guilbeau contributed 18 digs and four kills, and senior Sabrina Hill added five blocks.
"Emily (Martin) and I have an excellent connection," Hammond said. "We talk throughout, and she does a great job putting the ball where I like it. Her moving the ball around keeps our opponent's defense on their toes, not knowing where the shots are coming from. We have good team chemistry."
Northshore junior Kalyssa Tolis (12 digs, seven kills) reeled off six unanswered points in the first set as the Panthers raced to a 14-6 lead before the Skippers came storming back.
Mandeville tied the set at 23 with Anna Yarbrough at the line, but Hammond's kill sealed a 25-23 Northshore win. Schaff had several key digs during the set for the Panthers (12-9, 2-1).
"It's my job to get the offense going with crisp passes, so that's what I always try to do. Our hitters, especially Mariah (Hammond), did a great job finishing their shots," Schaff said.
"Everybody did their job. We started strong and were able to remain focused. It was a nice team win. I think we played with lots of confidence being at home."
In the second set, the Panthers built a 17-11 lead before the Skippers tried to mount a rally, but Hammond reeled off three straight aces en route to a 25-18 victory.
The Panthers carried that momentum into the third set as Hammond had six kills and three blocks to complete a 25-13 sweep.
Davis said he was excited that his team took care of business especially missing two starters.
"We're a work in progress, but I'm pleased with the kids making the necessary adjustments. They played well, and they handled the changes. It's all about how they're handling things as a very young team and playing with confidence only having two seniors," Davis said.
For Mandeville (6-20, 2-1), senior libero Ella Marquez had 26 digs, while freshman Soraya Amorajabi added eight kills. Freshman Julia Marengo had 11 assists, and Yarbrough added eight.
"We came into the match with confidence and felt good after sweeping Ponchatoula at their place," Marquez said. "We started extremely slow and never could get things turned around. We've been going through a rough season, and we're struggling as a team, which is very disappointing."
Mandeville coach Rachel Schulingkamp said the Skippers couldn't get anything going at the net.
"We had no offense to speak of and showed no consistency," Schulingkamp said. "We were unable to do anything, trying to get around their blocks. They have strong hitters, but our blocking was non-existent. We struggled trying to attempt to block their shots."