Loudoun County Volleyball Heads to States

Valley Secures AAA State Bid, Stone Bridge's Season Ends

By Paul Tenorio

Thursday, November 6, 2008

It took a little more than an hour for No. 2 Loudoun County to dismiss their Region II semifinal opponent Fluvanna County on Thursday night, winning easily in three games - 25-11, 25-14, 25-20 - and afterward there was little celebration, with the team instead calmly going about the normal routine of breaking down its home court.

But despite the business-as-usual nature of the Raiders' win, the implications of the victory held more meaning.

The Raiders (24-1) remained unbeaten at home this season, have lost just once on their own court in three seasons, and with a win on Saturday would clinch home-court again in the state quarterfinals. Senior Shaylin O'Connell played and looked strong after missing three days of practice with a lower leg injury. And several younger players stepped into the lineup and showed well.

But most important, despite losing a strong core of last year's state championship team, Loudoun County is headed back to the Virginia AA state tournament for the third consecutive season.

"It's been a lot of hard work on the players and me coaching-wise working on teaching them the parts about our program that help our girls succeed from year after year," Coach Jenica Matthias said. "And this group of girls is very coachable. They caught on very quick, the sophomores and the juniors that have come on the team, and they just worked [hard] to be the same team that won the state last year."

Loudoun County was efficient in all aspects of the game on Thursday, serving well, playing smart defense and moving the ball around well. O'Connell continued to prove a major threat as a hitter, and the Raiders younger plays did not seem overwhelmed when called upon.

The Raiders jumped to a 9-1 lead in the first game, beneficiaries of several Fluvanna mistakes with just three Loudoun County points coming off of kills. The lead proved to be too much for the Flying Flucos to overcome, as they would get no closer than nine points and drop the game 25-11.

Fluvanna (17-8) opened the second game looking like a different team, jumping to a 6-2 lead. But Loudoun County regrouped and rattled off eight consecutive points to take a lead they would not relinquish. Fluvanna scored just eight more points the rest of the game.

The third game was the closest, with several of the younger players playing the entire time, but while the score was tied at 11 at one point, County would take a 20-14 lead behind a kill and a block from O'Connell and hold on for the 25-20 win.

Afterwards, players and coaches said the win showed the continued growth of a young team that remains a favorite to defend its state title.

"Everyone has stepped up on our team," O'Connell said. "All the hitters are playing different positions. If you see the people that normally are playing outside and just right side at the beginning of the season are playing every position. So I think we're confusing other teams and everyone is just playing so well, adjusting and going out of their comfort zone."

Loudoun County Stats Versus Fluvanna

Shaylin O'Connell (12 kills, 5 blocks)

Juliane Hanna (5 kills, 5 digs, 2 blocks, 10 points, 2 aces)

Katie Gloe (5 kills, 5 digs, 8 points)

Rochelle Latka (2 kills, 4 blocks, 3 digs)

Sammy Dormio (2 kills, 5 digs)

Robin Marsala (10 assists, 10 points, 2 digs)

Kerry Sarver (8 assists, 3 points, 2 digs)

Katie Martin (6 assists, 2 points)

Hannah Arnold (8 points, 4 digs)

Kathleen Horvath (6 points, 5 digs)

Paige Sigmon (2 points, 2 digs)

Loudoun Valley Reaches Northwest Region Final, Stone Bridge Falls

Loudoun Valley defeated host Colonial Forge in four games in the semifinals of the AAA Northwest Region tournament, securing a state tournament berth for the Vikings.

The Vikings will host Albemarle on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Northwest Region final.

Meantime, Stone Bridge saw its season end in a loss to Westfield, 25-12, 25-22, 25-21, in the semifinals of the AAA Northern Region tournament at Centreville High School. The Bulldogs had won 12 straight matches, including three in the Liberty District tournament and the first two rounds of regionals.

Stats for Stone Bridge Against Westfield:

Lily Vera 21 assists, 7 pts, 8 digs, 1 ace

Sarah Norton 6 kills, 5 pts, 1 ace, 1 block

Christine Beckham 10 kills, 13 digs

Lindsay Gill 9 digs, 1 pt

Amanda Miller 8 pts, 2 aces, 5 kills, 6 digs

Sara Stancik 5 pts, 1 ace, 5 digs

Vanessa Paige 2 kills, 3 digs

Alexis Chism 1 kill, 4 blocks

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks