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Thursday, Sept. 21 -- The Rockbridge County High School volleyball team recorded a convincing 3-0 victory over Spotswood in a crucial Valley District matchup in Lexington.
Maddie Dahl and Sophie Vaught notched 12 kills apiece to lead the Wildcats to a 25-11, 26-24, 25-21 victory. McKenzie Burch totaled 29 assists, 12 digs, four kills and two blocks as RC improved to 14-1 overall and 4-0 in the Valley.
Danika Kunkle paced the Blazers (12-2, 4-1 Valley) with 11 kills, while Josephine Robertson recorded nine kills, three blocks and three aces and Raygan Wade tallied 26 assists.
The Wildcats came out with guns blazing in a dominant opening set, racking up 15 kills without a single attacking error. Vaught posted seven kills in the frame, and Burch quarterbacked the offensive onslaught with 12 assists.
Spotswood righted the ship in a seesaw second set. RC used a 4-0 run to go in front 21-17, only to see the Blazers respond with a 7-1 stretch that seemingly put them in control at 24-22. But a net violation and a block from Dahl canceled out Spotswood's set points, and kills from Dahl and Sophia Perlozzo secured a 2-0 lead for the 'Cats.
An early 7-1 spurt put RC ahead 13-9 in the third stanza, and the Wildcats kept the Blazers at arm's length the rest of the way. Dahl had four kills and two blocks in the set, while Perlozzo and Geneva Snyder added three kills apiece.
Dahl finished with a match-high four blocks, and Vaught also served up three aces. Perlozzo tallied eight kills, and Nala Shearer led the RC defense with 25 digs. Lily Payne chipped in five kills for Spotswood.
RC will hit the road to face Turner Ashby on Tuesday, and the 'Cats return home next Thursday, Sept. 28, when they take on William Monroe. Junior varsity action begins at 5:30 p.m. on both nights.
