Posted: October 19, 2012
By GREG BRILL
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — It’s a tradition for the James Wood volleyball team to play one of its last home matches to honor Breast Cancer Awareness.

And so it was on Thursday night, as the Colonels geared up on “Dig Pink Night” to let those know in attendance that they were playing for more than holding on to first place in the Northwestern District.

No doubt playing inspired before a big crowd, James Wood dispatched Millbrook 3-0 (25-12, 25-8, 25-18) in a match that took only 57 minutes to play.

There were signs everywhere all around Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium that reminded those in attendance of the cause.

One banner had “Fight like a girl.” Another said “James Wood digs pink.”

There also was a “Wall of Hope” at one end of the gym and each James Wood player held a poster as she was introduced in the pre-match to display who they were playing for.
James Wood senior setter Emilee Payne was playing in honor of her father, Steve, who stood with his daughter afterward for a photo opportunity while together holding a poster that had pictures and “Daddy” across the top.

“There’s tons of emotions,” said Payne, who finished with a match-best 18 assists in the win. “Everyone just comes out tonight to play for all the women and men that have lost their lives to not only breast cancer but all the cancers, and [to play] for the survivors too.

“My aunt had breast cancer, and it meant a lot to everyone that came out to support — just knowing that everyone is here to help out each other.”

The event raised over $5,000 and James Wood coach Jill Couturiaux said corporate sponsorship contributed another $2,000.

The Colonels (16-2, 6-0 in district) led the entire way in two dominant sets to begin the match, and allowed Millbrook (3-15, 0-7) only to lead twice (each time by a point) in the third set.

For much of the match, James Wood’s service game was on top of things. The Colonels opened the first set with nine aces, and sophomore Katie Houser’s jump serve caused instant damage.

With the Colonels ahead 4-2 early, Houser picked apart Millbrook’s back row as she registered six straight aces.

On her third ace, Houser sent a rope to the back row that crossed up Millbrook and fell untouched. Houser sent her next serve down the line on the near side, forcing the Pioneers to use a timeout.

Millbrook’s fortunes did not change, as Houser went to the middle of the back row before unleashing her sixth straight ace down the line on the far side for a 10-2 lead.

The streak ended there when Houser sent her next serve into the net. Houser got just one more ace in the match, but her early onslaught made an impression.

Serve-receive has been a area of concern for Millbrook, and with Houser on target early, frustration set in.

“It’s kind of [trying to] get out of that rotation where we almost feel stuck — it’s more of a mental game,” Millbrook coach Ashley Sutphin said. “I’m trying to get the girls to understand what to do when they get in that situation, and that’s where we’re at.

“[Houser] can definitely spot-serve well. She really has that top spin on it where it will come down short when it looks like it’s going deep. It’s just hard to read.”

James Wood totaled 16 aces in the match, getting at least one from six different players.

“I definitely thought [Millbrook] had trouble passing tonight,” Couturiaux said. “The nice thing about having a really aggressive serving team is putting pressure on their passing. Just making it hard for their attackers to do much with it. Overall, I felt like we served very well.”

The Colonels were right-on with most of their attacks, as well.

Millbrook got as close as 15-9 before the Colonels got another good spurt to finish off the first set.

The Colonels had nine kills with just two attack errors to go up 1-0 in the match. Houser provided point 25 with her fourth kill of the set, getting her third attack of the rally to drop and finally clinch the set for the Colonels.

Senior middle Erica Hepner also had three kills for James Wood in the opening set.

Hepner had a run of 12 straight service points (with three aces) in the second set as the Colonels opened a 19-1 lead before settling for a 17-point win in the set.

“Our serving and our passing is what we pride ourselves on,” Payne said. “I think it is one of our best [strengths].”

The third set provided the most competitive play between the two teams. Millbrook battled back well, taking its first lead at 4-3 after junior outside Kaitlyn Oates recorded a kill. Later, sophomore Ashley Humphrey had two straight aces for a 15-14 lead.

“The same thing happend in the third set last time [against Millbrook],” Couturiaux said. “I think they’re the kind of team that gets better and builds confidence as they go.”

The Pioneers got six kills apiece from Humphrey and senior outside Courtney Adams, along with a team-best 10 assists from junior Sarah Duvall.

But with the Pioneers threatening to extend the match, the Colonels, who finished the match with 29 kills (with just four attack errors) got rolling with their attacks to gain their sweep.

Payne got a tap to fall to tie the set at 15, and senior Tarah Wampler got a block off a free ball for the lead.

The teams traded points until James Wood got the last three of the match to end it.

Houser and Catherine Legge shared a block, Legge placed a soft kill along the front, and senior libero Kelby Jackson also had a well-placed kill to the middle for the 25th point.

Good balance again ruled the match for James Wood.

Houser collected a match-best 13 kills and seven aces, and Legge had three kills and four shared blocks.

“We always want to come out strong, and on nights like this we want to dominate,” Payne said. “We always want to show everyone that no matter how good or how bad [opponents] are, that we play at a solid level.”