MORGANTOWN — The University High volleyball team entered its home match against Parkersburg South on Sept. 21 needing a bounce-back, following a grueling five-set loss to archrival Morgantown last time out. The Hawks got exactly that, beating the Patriots in straight sets, 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-13). “It was a big, emotional loss,” UHS head coach Don Godfrey said of the Morgantown match. “We came out strong tonight. We started off a little slow, but then we picked it up and put them away.” It did take a little while for University (10-2) to break through for its first lead of the night. But after pulling ahead, 11-10, in the opening set, the Hawks never let go of that lead in the opening frame. They wouldn’t trail again until the third and, ultimately, final set. After gaining the advantage, University rolled off a 14-4 run to close out the opening set. The run included two impressive shots by Anna Tretheway. Victoria Jolliff punctuated that stretch with an overpowering shot past the Parkersburg South block on set point. In the second set, UHS never trailed, despite a few nervous moments down the stretch. After compiling an 8-1 lead, the Hawks were on the short-end of a 10-1 spurt by the Patriots that pulled them to 22-21. An illegal rotation infraction against University took away a chance at set point and left the score 23-23, but UHS claimed the next two points, thanks to Ashten Boggs’ net play on both offense and defense. “We have trouble winning the second set,” the sophomore said. “I know the team depends on me when it comes to big situations. I have to really keep myself calm, and I just make sure I do whatever helps the team.” “I’ll take the blame for that one,” Godfrey said of the infraction. “We hung in there, and we played hard to pull that out.” From there, UHS merely needed to deliver the knockout blow. It came in the form of a 9-0 run after the Hawks pulled ahead in the third set. Big kills from Boggs and Lindsey Warden proved too much to handle for the Patriots, whose blocks struggled to stop the power of the Hawks, especially as the match wore on. UHS returns to action Tuesday, at Wheeling Park. The Hawks will play three of their next four matches on the road, leading up to the start of the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference tourney.