Both the Pike Lady Patriots volleyball teams picked up their first wins of the season against Crenshaw Christian Academy giving new head coach Hayden Wilson her first win.

The junior varsity squad began the night by sweeping the cougars in straight sets 25-14 and 25-21. The varsity squads took it to five sets with the Patriots coming out on top 25-21, 24-26, 25-20, 23-25 and 16-14. Both teams improve their record on the season to 1-1.

“Our JV played very good,” Wilson said. “Winning was the only option and that’s what the outcome was. They played better as a team and they were ready to play.

“The varsity played very well. They knew we had to get the ball over the net to score and we did whatever it took to get that done.”

Following their opening night loss, the Patriots wanted to focus on playing against the heavy hitters and to be able to return the heavy shots over the net.

“We did much better,” Wilson said. “We have been working together at practice and they have improved a lot. I think a lot of it was pregame jitters and we got those out. Everything is starting to look more positive.”

Teamwork and communication was also a focal point this week leading up to the game.

“It was much better,” Watson said. “They talked and kept it going the whole time. There is still some things we need to work on as far as calling the ball, but those will come with time and repetition.”

The Patriots will return to the court on Tuesday when they travel to Auburn to take on Lee Scott Academy beginning with the junior varsity at 4 p.m.

“Right now we need to focus on covering up our holes,” Watson said. “We need to establish who has cover at certain times of the rotation. Once we get that taken care of we will be pretty good.”