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Just seven days after meeting in the high school volleyball season opener, Rockbridge County took on Parry McCluer again on Tuesday of last week.
While the venue was different – Lexington instead of Buena Vista – the result was the same: the Fighting Blues battled and came within a few points of grabbing a set, but ultimately the talent and experience of the Wildcats prevailed in another 3-0 victory. A balanced offense and 21 service aces fueled RC to the 25-13, 25-10, 25-23 home win. With the victory, the Wildcats improved to 7-1.
Sophie Vaught tallied nine kills and eight aces and Sophia Perlozzo also recorded nine kills to pace the Wildcats in round two. Nala Shearer registered 15 digs and six aces for RC, while McKenzie Burch had 24 assists and six kills and Maddie Dahl finished with eight kills and four blocks.
Sydney Mahaffey led the Blues (0-3) with seven kills, eight digs and a pair of service aces. Kadence Zollman added three blocks, seven digs and two kills, and Natalie Mohler posted seven assists and six digs.
In between the two meetings with PM, the Wildcats endured several early-season challenges, picking up a 3-0 road win over Fort Defiance on Aug. 24 and going 4-1 to win the Silver Bracket in Fluvanna County’s Tom Farruggio Tournament on Aug. 26. That tough competition may have propelled RC into midseason form.
“We had a great time over the weekend,” RC head coach Kassidy Beagan said. “We played some good teams … so I think that helped us push forward from what we [did] at Fort, and then to utilize those plays that we’ve come up with. I think that helped us a lot.”
The Blues are still searching for their first win of the season, but facing off twice against RC early on – on top of another road test against Alleghany – should benefit them in the long term.
“I’m glad that we’ve started off with such tough competition, because I think it really showed the girls where we can improve,” PM head coach Jessie Moala said. “It showed them what we can do and what we can achieve when we work together, and where we can grow.”
The Wildcats were on fire from behind the service line for most of the night. Eight aces in the first set and seven more in the second – including three from Shearer in each frame and five across the two sets from Vaught – enabled RC to sprint out to big early advantages. The ’Cats led 11-1 in the first frame and 7-1 in the second, never really allowing PM back into the picture in either stanza.
But the third set was a tightly contested affair, thanks to a late rally from the Blues. RC was ahead 18-10 and appeared to be on cruise control, only to see a 5-0 PM spurt – featuring two blocks from Zollman – close the gap to 18-15.
The ’Cats pushed the margin back to 22-17, but PM answered with a 5-1 run to make it 23-22. However, a well-timed setter dump from Burch on the ensuing point seemed to stifle the Blues’ momentum, and RC held on for the sweep.
Even though PM couldn’t complete its third-set comeback, Moala was pleased with her team’s resilience. The Blues also got a boost from shifting their rotation around in the final frame.
“I think giving a fresh outlook helped,” the PM coach said. “I felt like in the third rally, we were actually playing Blues volleyball. The girls were communicating really well; they were covering each other really well; and they were really coming together and playing well.”
Burch, the Wildcats’ senior setter, was in good form all night, switching things up with her array of gifted hitters and often picking the right time to take the ball over on the second contact.
“She’s been reading the block – so if the blockers take a step forward, she usually tries to read that and go the opposite” way, Beagan said of Burch. “Her being able to see that block and going around it and over it, dumping – it’s been a big help in certain situations.”
Maisen McKemy chipped in 11 digs, five assists and two aces for the Wildcats. Rebekah Allen had eight digs and two aces, and Hayley Higgins notched six digs. Keely Mahaffey totaled five assists and one block for the Blues, and Tatyana Turner recorded two kills.
Sydney Mahaffey’s solid all-around play was a bright spot for PM, as the senior outside hitter contributed to both the offense and defense. “Especially in that third set, her passing was solid, and she helped us with the most kills” in the match, Moala said of Mahaffey. “She was just playing really smart volleyball, which helped us stay in it longer.”
Prior to the match, the Wildcats honored Shearer, who had recorded her 1,000th career dig in the tournament in Fluvanna County. The senior libero has been a back-row anchor for RC throughout her career – and she’s still honing her craft.
“She’s just continuing to grow, and move her feet, and pick balls up,” Beagan said of Shearer. “She’s working on just being more vocal and verbal on the court. … I think she can just keep on learning and keep on pushing.”
PM will play host to Alleghany tonight, Wednesday, before beginning Pioneer District action at Narrows on Tuesday. The Wildcats will start Valley District play at Broadway on Thursday and will have a rematch at home against Fort Defiance on Monday before playing host to new district rival East Rockingham on Tuesday. All nights will start with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m.
