Gainesville High volleyball head coach Eddie Maynard described it as, "Eastside week," with both the volleyball team and football team slated to play the Purple Hurricanes cross-town rivals. In round one, GHS took the victory in four spirited games at Eastside Tuesday night. On the strength of strong play from Courtney Iwinski (11 kills, 4 blocks), the Rams took game one 25-23. But the Purple Hurricanes rallied to take the next three games, 25-21, 25-19, 25-15 for the win.
"We didn't panic," Maynard said after the win. "I think everyone was just really excited to play our rival, but I didn't feel we were in trouble after the first (game)."
Instead, it was outside hitter Kayla Bivens causing trouble for the Rams, with 26 kills on the night. Sydney Maynard also chipped in 44 assists, as the Purple Hurricanes improved to 7-5 on the season, with a 3-1 record in district play.