Millbrook outlasts James Wood for 3-2 volleyball triumph

By JERRY HOLSWORTH | The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — With seeding for the upcoming Class 4 Northwestern District playoffs on the line, Millbrook’s volleyball team hosted cross-county rival James Wood on Tuesday and the match turned into a razor-close test of wills.

The Pioneers pulled it out by the narrowest of margins, edging the Colonels 17-25, 26-24, 28-26, 19-25 and 15-8, as they clinched at least a share of the regular-season title.

“This was very exciting,” Millbrook coach Carla Milton said. “I really wish we could have won it in three, though. We started out slow at the beginning of each set. We were able to pick things up at the end and finish them off.”

The win puts the pressure on Fauquier who split with Millbrook during the regular season. Like the Pioneers (16-4, 11-1 district), the Falcons (10-1 district) need a win as they travel to Wood on Thursday.

With a win, Fauquier will travel to Millbrook for a tiebreaking match that would decide the top seed for the district tournament and give the winner a regional berth. Wood (14-8, 7-4) also has a stake in Thursday’s match as a win by the Colonels gives them the third seed for the tournament.

After taking the fourth set with a seven-point win, the Colonels headed into the tiebreaker with all of the momentum. A kill by Jessica Putnam and a pair of aces by Kaitlyn Poppo gave Wood an early 3-0 lead.

But like two earlier sets, Millbrook refused to cave and a kill by Tori Johnson and a pair of aces by Jordan Reid tied things up 3-3.

From that point, the Pioneers slowly took control of the set, pushing ahead 11-7 on kills by Tori Johnson and a block by Alexis Weir.

With the Pioneers leading 13-8, two kills by Alexis Weir finished off the Colonels and secured the match.

“We lost our energy in a couple of the sets,” Abigail Koeller said. “I really think this match came down to defense, and blocks at the net. I also thought that we served better. If we have to go up against Fauquier again this Saturday I hope our defense can play like we did tonight.”

Things didn’t start nearly so promisingly for the Pioneers. After staying close through the first 21 exchanges in the opening set, Wood exploded to pull ahead 22-15. Although Putnam was the Colonels’ main offensive weapon with an amazing nine kills and two aces, eight other Wood players contributed points during the set. Gillian Kleiderlein got the set-winner with a kill.

The Colonels began the second set the way they ended the first one and led 21-17 against the reeling Pioneers.

Then suddenly, everything changed.

Kills by Koeller, Alexis Weir, and two kills by Tori Johnson narrowed Wood’s lead to 23-21. Putnam scored on a kill to put Wood within one point of winning the set but three miscues on returns gave Millbrook a 25-24 lead. A kill by Tori Johnson, her seventh of the set, gave the Pioneers the win.

“I thought that we totally pulled together with our energy,” Tori Johnson said. “That helped us pull out the win tonight.”

Millbrook, thanks to a pair of kills by Alexis Weir jumped out to a 4-0 lead to begin the third set, but Wood rallied to tie the score at eight on a kill by Kristyna Van Sickler. The Colonel freshman was the force behind Wood’s resurgence, scoring seven kills during the set.

But, Van Sickler’s play wasn’t enough to stop another come-from-behind win by the Pioneers.

With Wood again just one point away from taking the set, two kills by Tori Johnson and another by Alexis Weir gave Millbrook the lead 26-25. Although the Colonels were able to tie things at 26, a pair of kills by Tori Johnson gave the Pioneers the win and a 2-1 lead in sets.

“I thought that we were able to come back really strong when we needed to,” Reid said. “That was especially true when we were down in the second and third sets.”

The fourth set was close until Wood turned the tables of Millbrook and dominated the final exchanges. With the score tied at 17, a pair of kills by Morgan Biggs gave Wood the lead. Van Sickler followed with two more kills to put the Colonels up 21-17 and they never looked back. Putnam got the set-winner on a kill.

Koeller led Millbrook with 18 kills. Tori Johnson added 17 kills, a block and four aces, while Alexis Weir had 11 kills and three blocks.

Putnam led the Colonels with 23 kills and four aces. Biggs added 10 kills, five blocks, and two aces.

“The difference was that they made the plays when it mattered and we didn’t,” Colonels coach P. W. Hillyard said. “We’ll be all right though. We have Fauquier at home Thursday and I know our girls will be up for it.”