When her chance to serve late in the first set against Cardinal Gibbons, Harris took control of the match.

And she had her answer, too.

Harris, along with the rest of the Cougars, turned a first-set deficit into a 27-25, 25-23, 25-22 victory over the host Crusaders on Wednesday night that was a statement to the rest of North Carolina: The Cougars, as for now, have to be considered the best in the state.

Entering this season, that type of respect belonged to the Crusaders, who had beaten the Cougars twice last season.

Harris has been counting the days waiting to see if Apex, which has back its entire roster, had improved. The test to find out was the result against Cardinal Gibbons.

As the Cougars fell behind five points to the Crusaders in the first set, Harris felt she needed to give her team a spark.

"I knew it was time to push through because they were playing really well at that point," said Harris, who has committed to Elon.

Harris gave Apex momentum with aces and drop-shot volleys to bring the Cougars back. Once the Cougars had a chance to win the set, Harris moved up to the net for the final two kills, and the Apex won 27-25.

From there, each time Apex (7-0) needed an answer for Cardinal Gibbons, Harris provided one. Not only could Harris win points, but she could set up teammates such as Megan Gravley.

And when the Crusaders (3-1) threatened to win the second set, Harris turned a negative into a positive.

With Apex leading 23-21, a volley over the net surprised Gravley, hitting her in the face.

In a loud gym that resembled the intensity of a playoff match, Harris laughed and told Gravley not to worry. Soon enough, every Apex player laughed.

Gravley started laughing after coach Nikki O'Connell called a timeout.

"We laughed it off," said Harris, who had a match-high 15 kills. "Megan has improved so much. She can be a Division I player."

Gravley won the final point of the set for Apex and had 11 kills of her own.

"I want them to laugh," O'Connell said of the play. "I told [Gravley], 'You have to laugh at that, because if you got mad and upset, it's probably going to make you more tense.'"

But O'Connell also is pleased with how Harris handled the situation.

"Kristen is very dynamic," O'Connell said. "With her leadership on the court, she has the ability to bring everyone together."