North Lenoir sweeps rival South Lenoir to extend winning streak

DEEP RUN – North Lenoir kept its momentum rolling Thursday night, sweeping South Lenoir 3-0 in a rivalry matchup.

The Hawks (6-1) earned their fifth straight win, taking the sets 25-22, 25-13 and 25-18. Lakyn Whitley capped the opening set with a kill and finished with 12 on the night, along with eight service points and five digs.

Haley Hemby added nine service points and six digs, Skye Doyle had 17 assists and four digs, Kennedi Starkie tallied five kills and three blocks, and Fawn Creech contributed five blocks.

“We battled, we kept fight in the first set, we missed seven serves but we came back and we bounced back at it,” North Lenoir head coach Heather Carson said.

The Hawks separated in the second set and controlled the rest of the match, stretching their run to 12 straight sets won against South Lenoir. NL now leads the rivalry 20-14 across the past 34 meetings, turning the tide after dropping six straight to the Blue Devils from 2019–22.

“I felt good, I think we worked really well, we talk well and I think we had a really good game altogether,” Whitley said.

Carson credited her senior hitter’s impact. “I’m very fortunate, she can hit,” Carson said.

On the rivalry, Carson added, “It is still there. It’s always North Lenoir/South Lenoir rivalry. I went to North Lenoir and it’s still there.”

North Lenoir travels to Eastern Wayne today, while South Lenoir (1-4) is off until Sept. 8 at Rosewood. The two rivals meet again Sept. 24 at North Lenoir.