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Rockbridge County recorded a 3-0 victory over Parry McCluer in the high school volleyball season opener for both teams in Buena Vista on Tuesday of last week.
Maddie Dahl tallied eight kills, nine aces and 11 digs to lead the Wildcats to a 25-11, 25-22, 25-15 win. Sophia Perlozzo chipped in six kills and four aces for RC, while McKenzie Burch registered 17 assists and five kills.
Tatyana Turner paced the Fighting Blues’ offense with five kills, and Kadence Zollman notched three blocks and six digs.
The Wildcats’ roster has a mix of experience and youth – the team features five seniors, five sophomores, one junior and one freshman – and second-year head coach Kassidy Beagan was pleased with the way things came together in the season opener.
“It was a great learning experience for all of our newer players,” said Beagan, who guided RC to a 19-6 record and a Region 3C quarterfinal appearance last year. “We have five seniors, and they did a great job of leading. I think everybody getting on the court, and being able to see how we run things – the offense – it was a really great experience for everybody.”
Though PM came up on the wrong end of the scoreline, the Blues also have plenty of positives to build upon – including an extremely competitive second set that could have swung either way.
“I thought our girls did a really good job of keeping a cool head and working together,” said PM head coach Jessie Moala, who’s also beginning her second year at the helm. “They hustled really well. … They had a positivity about them that was fun to watch.”
The Wildcats built up an early advantage in the opening set, going ahead 13-6 on back-to-back aces from Sophie Vaught. Later in the frame, RC led 18-11 when Dahl stepped up and reeled off an astounding seven consecutive aces to finish out the stanza.
All told, the Wildcats served up 10 aces in the first set.
“We had a great run behind the service line with Maddie Dahl serving,” Beagan said. “She and I have a great connection there – picking where the serve is going to go – and she just does a great job of executing that overall.”
But the Blues quickly dusted themselves off, battling through a tight second set that featured 11 ties and three lead changes. Turner had three of her kills in the stanza, and the Blues’ blocking game also came to life: PM totaled four team blocks in the set, including all three of Zollman’s markers and a pair of assisted blocks from Keely Mahaffey.
The Blues led 12-11 on a Turner kill, and the set was tied at 21-21. But RC tallied four of the last five points, getting key kills from Burch and Dahl and an ace from Perlozzo to close things out.
Though PM wasn’t able to even up the match, the Blues – who finished 9-17 a season ago, including a pair of lopsided losses to RC – showed major strides with their effort.
“I think they just calmed down [in the second set] and were finally playing their game – just playing with a lot more confidence,” Moala said. “They got their nerves out of the way after the first set.”
A balanced attack propelled the Wildcats in the final frame. Five different RC players had multiple kills in the set, including three apiece from Dahl, Burch, Perlozzo and Jada Hamilton.
Nala Shearer paced the Wildcats’ defense with 15 digs, and Maisen McKemy posted 11 assists. Vaught finished with five kills and three aces, while Hamilton and Mackenzie McCormick totaled two blocks apiece.
Sydney Mahaffey had three kills and six digs for PM, and Logan Vest also recorded six digs. RC might be the toughest team that the Blues will face all season long. That PM was able to compete with the Wildcats should bode well for Moala’s squad this fall.
“I think just the base that we have to grow on is exciting,” Moala said. “I think we’re already at a better place this year for a starting point, where we can just keep building … and continue to grow as players.”
Meanwhile, the Wildcats are anticipating that an opening-night win in a rivalry game – which came in a great atmosphere provided by fans of both teams – will serve as a springboard for the rest of the year.
“Being the first match, we can see what we need to work on, and the energy that we need to have, and the mindset that we need to have moving forward,” Beagan said. “We have big competition coming forward, and we have a lot of goals that we want to reach.”
RC and PM were slated to face off again in Lexington last night.
