Shelby sweeps South Iredell

This time being a bit nervous before a playoff match didn’t really matter too much to the Lady Golden Lions.

Shelby High’s volleyball team began its State 2A playoff quest by hammering South Iredell in three straight games Saturday afternoon at Lloyd Little Gym.

Scores: Shelby 25-19, 25-9, 25-17

Next: The Lady Golden Lions, the No. 1 seed out of the Southwestern Conference, will host the Brevard-Maiden match winner in the second round on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Records: Shelby 15-9, South Iredell 6-15

Statistics: Shelby got solid performances on several fronts:

Katrina Jiamachello 10 kills, nine digs, five aces; Morgan Koder 11 kills, two blocks, two aces; Patience Smith 25 assists, three kills; Keyona Crews six kills, six digs and four aces.

From the coach: “We had our lessons from last year (in the playoffs) when we were a No. 1 seed and a team came in here and beat us,” said Shelby head coach Amanda Mounce. “We got a little too caught up in the excitement. We’ve been able to balance that and stay focused.

“We were a little nervous at the start but after about the first 10 points, we started to play like we have been for the last few games. I feel we’re definitely peaking. These girls have been together a whole lot and they’re making good decisions and they’re having fun.”