RC Netters Avenge Setback

Wildcats Down Rival Blues To Earn Season Series Split

The Rockbridge County High School volleyball team earned its first victory of the season at the expense of rival Parry McCluer, claiming a tight 3-0 contest in Lexington on Monday of last week.

Geneva Snyder tallied 18 kills and 14 digs to lead the Wildcats to a 25-20, 25-22, 25-21 win. Maisen Mckemy tallied 30 assists, nine digs and three service aces for RC, while Mackenzie McCormick chipped in seven kills, four aces and two blocks and Rebekah Allen totaled 21 digs.

Keely Mahaffey paced the Fighting Blues with eight kills and 13 digs, and she also notched a pair of blocks. Allie Cullen also recorded 13 digs for PM, which had beaten the Wildcats 3-1 in the season opener in Buena Vista on Aug. 27 – the Blues’ first victory over RC since the 2016 season.

The Wildcats would drop Valley District contests to Broadway and East Rockingham later in the week to move to 1-6 overall. But after several tight sets and close matches, the ’Cats showed last Monday what happens when they put the pieces together.

“It’s awesome,” RC rookie head coach Gabe Wagner said of the win. “This is the first of many, is what I told them. At the end of the day, we have to learn how to win and how to be that much more consistent. But it was good to finally get that monkey off our back.”

In the first meeting between the schools, the Blues – who would record wins over Roanoke Catholic and Nelson County later in the week to improve to 5-2 – had capitalized on several miscues, including 19 RC service errors. The Wildcats were able to return the favor in the rematch.

“I thought tonight we kind of got in our heads a little bit,” PM head coach Jessie Moala said. “We were making simple mistakes; we were playing a little bit sloppy. … Our passing was just not where it should be, and that’s what failed us.”

RC used big runs in all three sets to avenge the earlier defeat. In the opening stanza, a 7-2 stretch gave the Wildcats a 16-11 edge, and a later 6-2 spurt – capped off by three straight kills from Snyder – put the frame out of reach at 24-17.

The Blues jumped out to a 6-2 advantage in the second set and later led by a 10-6 count. But the ’Cats reeled off eight unanswered points – including three more Snyder kills and a pair of Mckemy aces – and they would assume a 14-10 advantage on a block from Jada Hamilton and Emmy Duff. RC wouldn’t relinquish that lead in securing a 2-0 advantage in the match.

Snyder played perhaps the best game of her young RC career. The sophomore – daughter of longtime Washington and Lee University volleyball coach Bryan Snyder – saw limited action on the varsity roster in 2023, but after the departure of five all-district performers from last season’s state quarterfinal squad, she’s assumed a much larger role in the Wildcats’ offense.

“Geneva’s a special player,” Wagner said. “She’s been around volleyball a long time, and we see that. When she’s ripping the ball, there’s not a lot of girls I’ve seen who hit harder than her.”

PM again took the lead in the third set, going in front 11-6. But from there, the Wildcats went on an even lengthier run – this time a 15-1 spurt that included three aces and eight straight service points from McCormick.

Despite falling behind 21-12, the Blues showed some resolve with a late rally. They also played some of their best offense in the third frame: Natalie Mohler had seven of her team-high 10 assists in the set, while Kadence Zollman notched four of her five kills.

“There were still some really great things going out there,” Moala said. “I thought Allie [Cullen] had some really nice digs and saves. … Kadence had some really beautiful kills; Natalie had some really nice assists.”

PM used a 9-3 run to put scoreboard pressure back on the ’Cats, pulling to within 24-21 on consecutive kills from Zollman. But RC responded, and Mckemy set McCormick for the decisive kill.

Ava Crocker added 18 digs for the Wildcats, and Hamilton finished with four kills and eight digs. Emory Slagle contributed four kills and two blocks for PM, while Logan Vest notched 12 digs and Peira Conner recorded three blocks.

Although the Blues couldn’t complete the sweep, Moala believes they’ll only benefit from facing a talented RC team twice in the opening weeks of the season.

“It pushes us to be better. They make us work hard, which I appreciate as a coach,” Moala said. “Their program’s always a good one, and they always make us fight harder.”

Wagner used similar language in describing how his team is learning to maintain a high energy level regardless of the score.

“One thing that we still have to really learn is how to be intense 25 points in a row,” the RC coach said. “I tell them every time out, we’re down 19-11 – no matter what the score is – because we still have to fight harder the next point. They did great at that.”