Potomac Falls Volleyball Wins Again

Panthers Sweep Spartans for 7th Straight Victory

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Potomac Falls came to Ashburn Thursday night searching for quick start and a complete match. The Panthers had won three straight district matchups heading into their tilt with Broad Run but had struggled early on in several of their recent matches following their 3-1 loss to defending state champions Loudoun County.

Led by a clinical serving performance and some heavy hitting from their girls up front, the Panthers jumped on their hosts early and never let up as they cruised to a 25-13, 25-20, 25-19 victory.

"We've been struggling with coming out and being ready to play," Potomac Falls Coach Linda Lachey-Helms said. "But my girls seemed ready to play tonight."

Sophomore hitter/setter Tori Janowski led the Panthers' offense with eitght kills and 14 assists and added to her district-leading ace total with four more to push her season total to 65. But it was senior hitter Cat Jones who came up huge for Potomac Falls, tallying 10 kills and five aces, including three during a crucial stretch in the second game.

The visiting Panthers jumped out to a 16-9 lead in the first game and never allowed their lead to slip below six points as they took the opening frame easily. But the Spartans battled back in game two. The teams went back and forth early on with neither team able to stretch a lead any more than four points. With the score tied at 14, Jones spiked a kill and then stepped behind the backline to serve with the Panthers leading by one.

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Potomac Falls Beats Broad Run

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Potomac Falls junior hitter Alexa Campbell goes up for a kill during warm-ups before the Panthers' game against Broad Run on Thursday night in Ashburn. (Matt Brooks)

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Broad Run junior outside hitter Elisa Scudder goes up for a kill before the Spartans' match against Potomac Falls on Thursday night in Ashburn. Scudder finished with six kills in a losing effort as the Panthers swept their hosts in straight games. (Matt Brooks)

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Broad Run senior setter Kristen Burt sets a ball before her team's home match against Potomac Falls on Thursday. Burt, who was second in the Dulles District with 32 aces coming into the match, was held to a single ace as the Spartans fell in straight games. (Matt Brooks)

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She blasted her first serve for an ace. On the ensuing three points, Sara Hibson, Kayla Motheral and Nicole Fauteux each recorded kills. Then Jones reeled off two more aces, forcing a Broad Run timeout and giving Potomac Falls a lead they would not relinquish.

"She showed her experience, because she went back there and instead of just trying to hit the ball hard, she was picking her spots, picking her players and toying with them a little bit," Lachey-Helms said. "I was real pleased with her."

Jones, who won 13 service points on the night, credited the emphasis on serving in practice for her strong showing. As a team, the Panthers recorded 18 aces to just six for Broad Run.

"We work on that every day," she said. "We serve 10 serves in a row and every time you miss you start over with punishment. That's just helped our serves a lot, and they're crucial for every game as you saw here tonight."

With the win, Potomac Falls improved to 9-2 overall and 4-2 in the Dulles District. They also gained sole possession of third place in the district standings behind undefeated Loudoun County and Heritage. Meanwhile the Spartans fell to 4-5-1 overall and 3-3 in the district.

Lachey-Helms hopes the momentum gained from the dominating performance is enough to spark an upset of Heritage (12-1-1) when Potomac Falls hosts the Pride next Thursday in Sterling. Earlier this season, Heritage swept the Panthers.

"I really think they can play with anybody, they just have to come ready to play," Lachey-Helms said of her team. "They have to keep that attitude and consistency going throughout the entire match and we've been really working on playing the team, not just playing. And I think they're starting to recognize that. It's like volleyball 102 instead of volleyball 101 – just that next little step for some of them."

As for their place in the district race, Jones sees her team as contender in the thick of it for the long haul – especially when it comes to matching up with perennial powerhouses Loudoun County and Heritage.

"I think we can take it to both of them," she said. "We already took a game off of County the first time we played them and I think Heritage is definitely comparable to [Broad Run], so I think we’ll be fine."

Loudoun County Wins 38th Straight Match, Sweeping Freedom

Loudoun County extended its winning streak to 38 straight matches Thursday night with a 3-0 sweep over Freedom, 25-2, 25-9, 25-13. The Raiders, who have won 34 straight Dulles District matches dating to 2006, were led by Robin Marsala with 26 points, 8 digs, 8 assists, 3 aces, and 3 kills. Other contributors included Shaylin O'Connell (11 kills, 4 digs), Katie Gloe (13 points, 7 digs, 5 kills), Rochelle Latka (6 assists, 4 kills), Kerry Sarver (10 assists, 5 digs), and Emily Vandegrift (5 kills).

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks