So often in volleyball, the game is about energy and the scoring runs they can create , and Albemarle brought the energy Thursday night, bouncing back from a loss to Fluvanna County Tuesday to sweep rival Western Albemarle 3-0 in Crozet.
“This whole group really likes each other, they’re a tight knit group and they feed off each other,” said Albemarle coach Mark Ragland. “I just like the way they work together and support each other.”
The Patriots attacked the Warriors from a dizzying array of angles, spots and positions, with Paige Hanssen, Alexis Duday and Stephanie Lugus leading that attack with eight kills each. Ellie Benning also did some serious damage from the setter spot with seven kills while Cindy Yu had five kills. Keely Baker and Lindsey Earles also made an impact with three kills.
“We’re still growing in that area, we replaced five of our hitters from last year,” Ragland said. “We’re feeding the middle a lot and kind of living off that.”
Benning had a huge all around night with 30 assists going with her seven kills. Taylor Bauman and Cindy Yu combined for 22 digs as the Patriots’ rock solid back line continued to make an impact in the season’s early going.
The Patriots’ ability to pass and get everyone involved in the offense made life tough on a revamped Western Albemarle varsity squad that includes just five returners. The Warriors’ offense couldn’t get going, which limited their ability to cut short runs by the Patriots.
“Albemarle went on some big runs and that’s a key part of volleyball,” said Western coach Ron Pack. “The key to the match was passing. We passed behind the attack line and options aren’t there.”
Albemarle rolled to a 25-15 win in game one, but Western managed to challenge Albemarle in a big way in game two though, battling back from a 15-3 deficit to pull within three points at 22-19. But then a huge kill by Lugus helped Albemarle get back in control and snuff out Western’s hopes of evening the match at 1-1.
“Our kids didn’t quit, they didn’t stop,” Pack said.
In game three, Albemarle pulled away midway through the game, building on a 15-12 lead and stretching it out to a seven-point advantage at 23-16 before closing out 25-18.
Lugus added 2.5 blocks for the Patriots in addition to her eight kills, while Hanssen led Albemarle in service points with 14 including a pair of aces.
For Western, Olivia Nichols and Kelsey Grove finished with six kills each while Elissa Simpson and Erin Farina combined for 17 assists. Grove also chipped in 10 digs while Simpson finished with nine.
Western will jump back into the fray this weekend when they host the Western Albemarle Invitational Tournament Saturday in Crozet while Albemarle hosts the Albemarle Showcase tournament also on Saturday.
