Wildcats Win Fourth Straight

RC Netters Overcome Injury, Illness

Even several unexpected lineup changes couldn’t derail the Rockbridge County High School volleyball team’s momentum last week.

Despite the absence of several key players due to injury and illness, the Wildcats collected three Valley District wins in four nights, beating Harrisonburg and Spotswood 3-1 on the road and sweeping Rocktown at home. The victories ran RC’s overall win streak to four matches, as the ’Cats improved to 5-6 overall and 4-2 in the district.

The Wildcats had to make some significant lineup adjustments to account for their changing personnel. Junior outside hitter and defensive specialist Ava Crocker has missed several matches due to injury, and the ’Cats are down a couple of their reserves as well. And after big games in the first two wins of the week, junior Jada Hamilton sat out the Spotswood match due to illness.

“We’ve had to adapt a lot. I think the idea of being like Swiss army knives – just ever-changing – helped us a little bit,” RC head coach Gabe Wagner said. “Other teams don’t know what they’re going to see. Our girls are learning to be not just a middle, an outside or a setter; they’re learning to be a volleyball player, which I think is big.”

RC opened the week by recording a 27-25, 25-10, 26-28, 28-26 road victory over Harrisonburg (6-5, 2-4 Valley) last Monday. Jada Hamilton delivered 16 kills, 18 digs and four blocks to lead the way, and Mackenzie McCormick stuffed the stat line with nine kills, 10 service aces, three blocks and 24 digs.

Geneva Snyder added 10 kills for the Wildcats, while Maisen Mckemy totaled 42 assists and Rebekah Allen amassed 39 digs.

“Harrisonburg was an interesting match for us,” Wagner said. “We were seemingly tired for some reason, but we found the fight and pushed through. We played smart and served aggressively, and in the tough moments we found ways to be consistent and win.”

RC 3, Rocktown 0

RC won the first-ever varsity athletics encounter with the new Rocktown High School, beating the Raptors in straight sets in Lexington last Tuesday.

Hamilton posted match-highs of 12 kills and 16 digs to propel the Wildcats to a 25-16, 25-20, 25-12 win. Mckemy tallied 25 assists and two blocks, and McCormick finished with seven kills and six aces.

Taylor Moore recorded five kills for Rocktown (2-9, 0-6), which formed when Harrisonburg High School split prior to the new academic year.

Trailing 8-5 in the opening frame, the Wildcats turned things around with a 9-1 run that included four Hamilton kills and a pair of aces from Mckemy. RC created further separation down the stretch with a closing 8-2 spurt.

Hamilton – a six-rotation player who is becoming a double- double machine – was consistent throughout the match, producing four kills in each set against the Raptors. And like the rest of her teammates, the junior is becoming more versatile on the court.

“Jada’s been great … She was swinging as an outside; now, she hits a little as a middle, a little as a right side and a little as an outside,” Wagner said. “She’s very dynamic. Man, when she’s ripping, she’s hitting the ball very hard.”

A tight second set featured eight ties and a pair of lead changes. But with the score knotted up at 17-17, the ’Cats took control with a mini-run, cashing in on a pair of McCormick aces to reel off five straight points.

McCormick caught fire behind the service line to help RC run away with the final stanza. The junior middle served up eight consecutive points, including four aces, to give the Wildcats a 17-9 lead, and Rocktown wouldn’t threaten the rest of the way.

“Mackenzie, when she gets going, there’s not a lot of people who can pass her well,” said Wagner, whose team produced eight total aces in the set and 19 for the match. “When we’re aggressive serving, we’re probably one of the best serving teams I’ve seen so far.”

Allen notched 12 digs and five aces, and Snyder chipped in six kills and four aces. Mollie Balmer totaled 10 assists and four kills for Rocktown, while Eme Ola also had four kills and Imani Banks registered seven assists.

RC 3, Spotswood 1

The Wildcats extended their winning streak to four with a 3-1 victory over Spotswood in Penn Laird on Thursday.

With Hamilton sidelined, McCormick stepped up to pace the offense with 15 kills as RC secured a 20-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23 result. Mckemy notched 24 assists, eight digs and a pair of blocks, while Snyder had seven kills, 10 digs and four blocks.

Wagner said that his team took its adaptability to a new level in the victory over the Blazers (5-9, 2-4).

“I had to come up with a lineup on the fly that was highly radical, and something that we didn’t have the chance to practice at all,” the RC coach said. “Despite the last-minute movement in positions, our team was able to play as a family and be selfless to grab a very important district win.”

Tadara Cooper posted 14 digs and three aces for the Wildcats. Allen – who typically starts at libero – contributed to the attack with six kills, and she also collected eight digs. RC was slated to play host to Turner Ashby last night. The Wildcats continue district action with a home match against Broadway on Thursday, followed by a trip to East Rockingham on Tuesday. The junior varsity contest will begin at 5:30 p.m. on both evenings.