Saturday, Oct. 01, 2011

Meredith vs. Peace: They come to win

In the quaint gymnasium tucked on the outer edge of this 225-acre campus, the boom of competition rises, rises, rises as every overhand serve and every ace, dig, block or kill punctuates the bass of die-hard fans rooting for a "W."

It's no ordinary competition. It's the Wednesday night volleyball matchup between the Avenging Angels of Meredith College and the Pacers of William Peace University. Few expect the crosstown rivalry between Midtown's two women's colleges to dissipate even as the latter changes course with its new name and male students.

It's a fierce Division III rivalry overshadowed by the Division I rivalries that face N.C. State University or the Division II rivals of nearby St. Augustine's College and Shaw University.

"It doesn't matter what either team's record is, it's an absolute fight between the two of us," said Kevin Daniels, the Pacers volleyball coach and assistant director of athletics. "It's a knock-down drag-out every year.

"It's probably the most exciting match of the year."

In Weatherspoon Gymnasium on Wednesday, Meredith won the season's first of two matches against Peace in four sets, 3-1. Peace gets a home-court rematch Oct. 26.

"We work every year to play all our matches at a consistent level, but this match, we work even harder," said Emily Anderson, a Meredith senior from Wilmington. "It's a really fun match; a lot of energy.

"It's easily my favorite game of the year."

It was Spirit Night at Meredith, with fans painting overflowing stands with a sea of maroon and their faces with semblances of war-paint. An angelically-attired 6-year-old fan, Rebecca Cobb, the sister of the Angels' Caroline Cobb, won the most-school-spirited outfit.

Meredith's basketball team wore painted faces, arms and bellies and headband-halos, sparking cheers and the wave.

Shucks, y'all, the rivalry between Raleigh's two premiere women's colleges is one of the better ones out there.

Just think:

Meredith sits on the western end of Hillsborough Street, nearly a stone's throw from the State Fairgrounds.

Peace is just a few miles away, centrally nestled on the east end of downtown.

The schools not only compete for students but are also wading through the same pool to recruit athletes in six sports.

Both Meredith and Peace have spots on the 2012 U.S. News & World Report ranking of the country's best schools. Last year, several volleyball players were among the 24 Peace and 39 Meredith student-athletes named to the USA South Academic All-Conference Team, which requires a 3.0 GPA in both semesters of the academic year.

In 2003, Peace became the first women's college in the state to become a member of the co-educational USA South Atlantic Conference. In 2007, Meredith also joined the conference.

"That strengthened the rivalry," said Greg Jarvis, Meredith's assistant athletic director. "It became not just a cross-town rival, but also a conference rival."

The teams have played each other nine times since, Jarvis said, adding that although Meredith is up 6-3 in the series, a majority of the matches have gone five sets; the fifth being the tie-breaker.

"It's always our biggest game of the year, as far as crowd, atmosphere and excitement," he said.

It's also good competition because, as Division III athletes, nobody's playing for scholarship money or trying to make any U.S. Olympic team, said Brian Joura, who oversees the sports information department for Peace. Joura noted popular debates focused on the growing influence money has over sports.

"Anybody who feels that way needs to focus on Division III sports," Joura said. "These kids are not on scholarship. These kids are playing at Peace or Meredith because they absolutely love the sport."

And they don't mind the rivalry, either.

"It's pretty mutual: Meredith will always be our crosstown rivalry," said Amber Lowe, a Peace senior from Cedar Grove, N.C.

"We focus on our game as a team, no matter who is on the other side of the net, but anytime we play each other, it's a good game, a good battle; always neck-and-neck."