Shannon leads Colonels to win

By Jerry Holsworth -- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WINCHESTER -- James Wood overcame a determined effort Thursday by Fauquier to defeat the Falcons 3-2 (23-25, 25-12, 25-20, 21-25, 16-14) in girls volleyball action.

"I thought we kept our heads through the match, and we kept our focus," said James Wood hitter Emily Shannon, who set a school-record with 25 kills in the match. "Fauquier is a very competitive team, and it was really enjoyable to play them tonight."

Shannon wasn't the only one setting records for James Wood. Colonels' setter Carly Mullin had a school-record 54 assists in the match.

It was never easy for James Wood (6-4), which dropped the first and fourth sets to the scrappy Falcons (4-7). The Colonels also had to overcome a very rocky start.

"We generally take a little more time than most teams to warm up," James Wood coach Jill Lester said. "That's not exactly the way I like it, but I wasn't worried after the first set. I was confident that our girls would get the job done." The first set left everything in doubt for the Colonels, who practically gave Fauquier the win. James Wood connected on 12 kills to the Falcons six, led in blocks 2-0, and still lost the game.

The big problem for the Colonels was service errors. James Wood committed seven service errors in the opening set, including the set-winner for the Falcons.

"We just needed to warm up a little bit," James Wood hitter Hannah Teirney said. "We just had to come together as a team and come back strong."

That was exactly what James Wood did in the second set, and it was particularly evident in the play of Megan Crabtree, Teirney and Shannon. Crabtree, who scored on four kills and an ace in the first set, contributed another four kills in the second set. Shannon, who had seven kills in the opening set, hammered home three more in the second set.

But it was the emergence of Teirney that really proved decisive. The Colonels junior, who was scoreless in the first set, ripped off three kills and a block in the second set. James Wood dominated play throughout, getting the set-winner on a kill by Eleanor Kent.

Fauquier tried to rally in the third set, and kept it close throughout, but the play at the net by the James Wood hitters was the difference.

A Falcon service error, their first of the match, gave James Wood a 24-20 lead in the final exchanges of the third set. The Colonels got the set-winner on the next exchange when a Fauquier kill attempt sailed into the net.

The Falcons came roaring back in the fourth set to win 25-21, forcing a fifth set. That last set proved to be the closest of the five, and the match was in doubt until the final two exchanges. With the scored tied 14-14, Teirney scored on a kill and a return by the Falcons went long to finish the match.

"We decided to use our middle hitters more than we had in the past tonight, and they really came through," Lester said. "Peyton Clark and Hannah Teirney really came through for us."

Clark, who played brilliantly at the net on defense, finished the night with three kills and a block. Tierney scored on 19 kills and seven blocks. Shannon also had 31 digs and Crabtree had 16 kills for the Colonels.

The Falcons were led by Rachel Gross, who had 11 kills, and Callie Grunstad, who had eight.

"I was really proud of the way we played tonight," Fauquier coach Diana Story said. "We played a very competitive match on the road with a very good James Wood team."