Western wins in 3 games

When last seen, the Albemarle volleyball team was hoisting the Group AAA championship trophy in Richmond. On Wednesday night, however, it was a veteran Western Albemarle team that looked like the champs, defeating the Patriots 25-19, 25-20, 25-22 in front of an energetic home crowd.

In the season opener for both teams, Western (1-0), seized control of a tightly-contested first game when a long rally resulted in a point, giving them a two-point lead at 19-17. Western would close out the game on an 8-2 run, winning 25-19.

Game two was more of the same for the Warriors as they took advantage of a close game when senior Elizabeth Via accounted for three straight service points en route to a 25-20 victory, putting the Patriots in an 0-2 hole.

“We thought we could establish some momentum early,” said Western Albemarle coach Lance Rogers, “but Albemarle kept coming back … it was tough to pull away.”

In the decisive third game, the Patriots (0-1) put up a strong fight, but were once again denied by the tough Western attack. With the game knotted up at 15, the Warriors rose to the occasion and rolled off four straight points to take a commanding 19-15 lead. Harper, who finished with 10 kills and eight digs was instrumental in the run, accounting for two of the four points as the Warriors went on to close out the match.

“It was a really competitive game,” Harper said. “I thought it went really well, we played our hardest, and the outcome was what we were hoping for.”

Albemarle was led by seniors Hannah Lawson (seven kills, seven service points) and Abby Hendrix (14 assists), as well as junior Megan Napolitano (six kills) in the loss.

“I thought we played well in spots,” said Albemarle coach Mark Ragland. “There were some spurts where Megan Napolitano and Hannah Lawson took some really good swings. Abby Hendrix, too — we were running her all over the court, but she was able to get her hands on a number of balls.”

“Unfortunately, there were a few plays that, had they gone the other way, we could have won. But you have to give a lot of credit to [Western coach] Lance and his girls.”

Armed with eight seniors on the roster, the Western upperclassmen flexed their muscle as seniors Sarah Harper, Chastity Lacy (seven kills), Amanda Gough (five kills) and Megan Adams (13 assists) proved to be instrumental in the victory.

Next up for the Warriors is a two-week hiatus before facing off against Jefferson District newcomer Goochland. Albemarle looks to rebound on Sept. 3 against Commonwealth District opponent North Stafford.