Blues Upend Wildcats In Volleyball

PM’s Victory Over RC First Since 2016

The Parry McCluer High School volleyball team kicked off the season with a dramatic 3-1 win over local rival Rockbridge County in Buena Vista on Tuesday of last week.

The Fighting Blues overcame a second-set slump and held off a furious charge from the Wildcats in the fourth frame to record a 28-26, 1125, 25-12, 25-23 victory.

The result marked PM’s first win against RC since the 2016 campaign, with the ’Cats sweeping the home-and-home series in each of the past six full s easons. T he t eams d id not play during the abbreviated spring 2021 season that fell during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This game, you know, old town rivalries. That gets them excited,” said PM head coach

, page A11 Jessie Moala, who’s in her third year at the helm of the Blues. “I loved how much support we had out in the stands – supporting both teams … It’s just really fun to play them – and to come out ahead.”

Kadence Zollman led the Blues with nine kills, recording six of those across the third and fourth sets. Keely Mahaffey tallied five kills, four blocks, eight assists, six digs and a pair of service aces, while Natalie Mohler totaled nine assists, 11 digs and four aces. Allie Cullen led the PM defense with 17 digs, and Peira Conner registered four blocks and four aces.

Jada Hamilton posted 10 kills and 17 digs for the Wildcats, while Geneva Snyder finished with 10 kills, 12 digs and two aces. Maisen Mckemy racked up a match-high 23 assists, and Ava Crocker notched 19 digs, three kills, two blocks and three aces.

RC certainly had its moments in Tuesday’s match, and the Wildcats were effective when they got in system. But after losing five all-district performers from last season’s Class 3 state quarterfinal squad – including Region 3C player of the year Maddie Dahl – and having rookie head coach Gabe Wagner take over for Kassidy Beagan, there were also signs that RC is in rebuilding mode.

“These girls have to learn,” Wagner said. “You don’t get the stress of a game from anywhere else but playing a game. That’s a learning thing that they haven’t had the opportunity to do.”

PM sprinted out of the gates to claim an early 9-2 advantage in the opener. RC gradually worked its way back in the set, taking a 21-20 lead on a kill from Snyder. The teams traded points into extras, but a Wildcat service error followed by a Mahaffey ace put the set in the Blues’ column.

The ’Cats dominated the second frame, using a long service run from Crocker to key a 9-0 stretch that gave them an insurmountable 18-9 lead.

The Blues returned the favor in the third stanza, quickly erasing an early 6-2 deficit with an 8-1 run. Leading 16-11 later in the set, PM closed things out with a 9-1 spurt that culminated in back-to-back overpass kills from Zollman.

The fourth set appeared to be heading in the same direction, with the Blues putting together a 12-2 stretch – featuring two kills apiece from Mahaffey and Cullen and two aces from both Mohler and Conner – that put them in control at 21-12. But RC scrambled back into the frame, pulling within one (23-22) on a Snyder kill.

Yet PM held off the charge, and the match ended on one of the Wildcats’ 19 service errors.

Despite falling just short in the fourth stanza, Wagner was thrilled with the way his team fought back after being on the ropes for most of the set.

“I thought they handled it incredible” with the comeback in the fourth set, the RC coach said. “That’s pretty remarkable for such a young squad.”

On the other side, Moala credited her veteran leadership with helping the Blues withstand the Wildcats’ rally and avoid a decisive fifth set.

“I thought Logan [Vest] and Peira [Conner] did a really good job of lifting the team up,” Moala said. “Natalie [Mohler] was a great leader on the court.”

Emory Slagle chipped in six kills and three aces for the Blues, and Vest recorded 13 digs. Mackenzie McCormick had seven kills for RC, while Rebekah Allen added 13 digs and Emmy Duff collected two blocks.

The Wildcats showed flashes of their potential, with new starting setter Mckemy feeding the likes of Hamilton, McCormick and Snyder for some big swings. If RC can improve in some other areas on the court, the ’Cats will again be a force to be reckoned with in the Valley District.

“At our best, we’re hitting balls harder than most teams are going to,” Wagner said. “We just need to clean up the little things – we need to pass a little bit better, set a little bit better – so we can get those nice swings we’re going to see on the highlight reel.”

But after an eight-year run without a victory against their in-county rival – albeit during a span where RC has been a Region 3C power – it was the Blues’ turn to celebrate on Tuesday night. PM’s experience seemed to pay off in the long run.

“Once they settled down and settled into a routine, they became more confident and just got the job done,” Moala said. “It was definitely a team night.”

After both RC and PM each play two other opponents this week, they’ll face off again in Lexington on Monday, starting with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m.