BEAR CREEK – Monday evening’s county volleyball clash between Chatham Central and Northwood featured two teams in very different situations.

The Bears are led by head coach Bill Slaughter, a staple at CC for the past five years.

NW, on the other hand, took to the court with new coach Megan Mosher, the sixth person to lead Charger volleyball in the same span.

The result was pretty predictable, as the Bears swept NW in straight sets, 25-10, 25-14, and 25-19, opening up the 2004 campaign on a very strong note.

"This was a good all-around team win," said Slaughter. "I’m comfortable with my first six, but we were able to work on our situational substitutions, and I was able to see some things out of some girls I wasn’t to sure about in practice. I was able to look at some people under fire."

No one should really be surprised by the lack of success the USA basketball team is having.

The writing has been on the wall since the 2000 Olympics when the Americans trailed France by 15 points in the first half and watched a potential game-winning three-pointer by Lithuania misfire, preserving a narrow escape.

Despite the close games in Sydney, USA still brought home the gold medal.

Although the Americans won the gold, they lost their aura of invulnerability.

They didn’t roll through the games the way the first two Dream Team’s did.

Players from other countries were no longer asking for autographs and pictures during the game.

These foreign players were coming to do one thing – beat the United States.

The wheels started to fall off last year at the World championships when the USA finished sixth, losing three times.

What made anybody think the USA were the favorites at this year’s Olympic games?

This year, the team is more flawed than last year’s squad.

Now in its fourth season, the Jets opened the 2004 campaign with a battle against 4A power Chapel Hill High School on Monday night.

And while the Jets were dealt a tough 2-0 loss, it was evident the small 1A club was very much in the game until the end.

"The game was very evenly matched, especially in the second half which bodes well for the team to stand up against a 4A school with such a long tradition as CHHS," said Cuadros, who scheduled the match to expose the Jets to a higher quality of play early. "This was a good warm up game for us, tough, demanding, and it exposed our weaknesses so we can work on them in practice."

more- See Thursday, August 19 paper: Vol 84, No. 38

That was the case here on Monday afternoon as Jordan-Matthews opened defense of its 1A state crown with a 7-2 triumph over a talented Albemarle bunch in Yadkin Valley Conference tennis action.

The Lady Jets (1-0, 1-0), who graduated six starters from last years state title club, used a lineup of three seniors and three sophomores in singles to clinch the match with a 5-1 advantage.

In doubles, J-M took two-of-three to cruise to the win.

Elizabeth Knight of Albemarle lived up to preseason billing as one of the top returnees in the YVC with an 8-3 win over J-M’s top-seed Kynlon Snipes in the top-seeded tilt.