It’s not something he’s used to. Dave Boardway has seen his Louisa County volleyball team make progress from year to year, but after two wins in two tries, he’s excited about the way the Lions are going about their business.
“We’re executing really well, the best I’ve ever seen us do,” Boardway said. “When they’re on a roll, I turn to my assistant and say, ‘We don’t need to talk to them. We can let them talk to each other.’”
Louisa showed its depth on Thursday night as they dispatched visiting Spotsylvania with ease, winning 3-0, 25-15, 25-8, 25-20, all the while plugging players in and out.
“Before the season we were nervous that (this year) was going to be rough,” said senior Emily Walton. “But we’re really excited with how everything’s been turning out.”
Understandably so. In the first two games, the Lions jumped all over the Knights, starting both contests with 5-0 runs and earning 10-point leads mid-way through. Louisa looked its best at the service line, successfully hitting 90 per cent of their serves and collecting 12 aces along the way with Walton leading the team with five.
The Lions got their best competition in game three as they and the Knights went point-for-point for the first 22 points. But with the game tied at 11, Louisa took six of the next seven points to jump out in front. Spotsylvania closed to within three points late, but Louisa held on take five of the last eight points to seal the win.
Kerry Chisholm led a well-balanced attack that saw nearly every palyer register a kill. The junior finished with four kills.
“We had so many weapons tonight that we could have put the ball up anywhere for anyone to hit,” Boardway said. “Anyone could execute, even the substitutes did when they came in.”
Of course, to facilitate the offense, the Lions have been focused on their passing especially since last years setter, Shannon Bodkins, graduated in the spring. Tuesday night, the offense looked fluid.
“We were passing really well tonight and swinging at everything,” Chisholm said. “I thought we looked pretty good.”
Kaitlin Busch was solid on both offense and defense, doling out five assists to go along with three of her team’s five blocks. As the team’s libero, Logan Torgerson was strong on the back line and had a team high nine digs.
