James Wood Volleyball Dominates At Service Line With 22 Aces In Win Over Washington (W.Va.)

Posted: September 9, 2014
By JERRY HOLSWORTH
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — The only mistake the James Wood volleyball team made Monday against Washington (W.Va.) was that it might have picked the wrong game.

After nailing an incredible 22 aces on the Patriots, the Colonels might have been better served playing poker. Regardless of the game, Wood (8-1), after a slow start, dominated Washington (0-2) 25-17, 25-10, 25-5.

“Compared to how we played James Wood last year, we’ve made some improvement,” said Patriots coach Andrea Stewart. “James Wood has an awesome team. [Senior outside hitter] Katie Houser really had our number tonight. She’s just a great player. Playing a really great team like James Wood will help us improve as the season progresses though.”

The Colonel’s victory in the first set, however, was more of a methodical display of teamwork than a thrashing. After trailing 4-1 early, Wood slowly but steadily responded, finally taking the lead 6-5 on an ace by Houser. The Colonel senior followed that ace with another, putting Wood up 7-5 and the Colonels never looked back.

“We usually start out slow,” said Colonel setter Ashley Hillyard. “But once we get a couple of kills we start to get into the game, and that’s when we take it to them.”

The win demonstrated that Wood’s powerful frontline was too much for the Patriots as four Colonels produced kills in the set. Houser led the way with three kills, a block and three aces, but sophomore Taylor Heishman actually tallied the most with four of her eight kills coming in the first set. Senior Lindsay Painter and Hillyard also finished the set strong with two kills each.

“We try to mix it around,” Hillyard said. “All of our girls at the net are really good, and I know that they can put it away. I have a lot of faith in my hitters.”

Washington’s showing in the opening set proved to be its best performance of the night as Wood controlled play from that point on.

The second set showcased Houser’s ability at both the net and the service line. She nailed four kills during the set, but her serving performance left the crowd breathless.

“Our goal is to be a powerhouse team, and we’re getting there,” said Wood coach Jill Couturiaux. “I think one of our strengths is our aggressive serving, and it really showed tonight.”

With Wood holding a 7-5 lead, Houser led Wood on a 10-0 run that left the Patriots far behind. During the run, eight of the 10 Colonel points came on Houser aces, including strings of four in a row and three in a row. In between Houser’s dominance of Washington’s back line, Colonel senior Alexis Copley tallied a kill to keep the run going.

Ironically, Houser finally left the service line after a service error, but besides her eight aces, she also finished the set with four kills.

Despite Houser’s gaudy numbers, the second set again displayed the Colonels’ amazing depth. Heishman finished the set with another pair of kills, as did junior Sidney Furr. Hillyard contributed a kill and an ace, while Painter and sophomore Ashanti Day also had kills.

“I was hoping to get to 25,” said Houser about her serving hot streak. “I move from side to side after each serve to try and confuse them a little bit. If I saw one girl was struggling I send it in her direction.”

Unfortunately for the Patriots, Wood saved its best set for last. Jumping ahead 4-1 after three straight aces by senior libero Ally Iden, Wood led 10-3 when Houser stepped to the service line for the first time in the set.

Although the Colonel senior wasn’t quite as dominant as she was in the second set, she led Wood on an impressive 8-0 run that featured three more aces. Houser, however, got a lot of help from Hillyard, who stepped away from her normal position as setter to hammer home three kills during the run.

After Houser finally left the service line, things didn’t change much for Washington. The Patriots managed just one more point in the set.

“We’re working hard as a team,” Houser said. “Although I don’t’ think that we’re quite ready to say that we’re playing at our best, we’re getting there.”

Houser led the Colonels in scoring with eight kills, one block and 14 aces, but she was not the only Wood player to have a productive night. Hillyard finished the match with six kills and two aces, and Iden added six aces. In all, eight Colonels scored points in the victory.

“I feel like we have girls on our team that can come in and contribute at anytime,” Couturiaux said. “We’ve got players four deep in each position on the roster that can come in and get the job done. That’s a good thing to have as a coach.”