Wood handles Bulldogs

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

WINCHESTER -- From watching Yolonda Pinkcett play volleyball many times over the last few years, James Wood coach Jill Lester knew Pinkcett could keep Martinsburg (W.Va.) in Tuesday night's match with her top-flight blocking skills.

"[Pinkcett's] a great, great player, strong defensively, and puts up a big block," Lester said. "I told our girls she would put up one of the biggest blocks we'd see this season and to find a way to go through her or around her."

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, one good blocker was not enough to handle the many hitting options the Colonels presented.

Right from the start, James Wood went on the attack and hit through Martinsburg's block, and the result was a 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-14) sweep for the Colonels at Donald Shirley Gymnasium.

The Colonels came out booming, getting a good start from Emily Shannon, who had six kills, two blocks, and an ace to begin the match. "I think their blockers were a little late getting up and tried to block [Shannon] outside, and that's always an advantage for us when they're a little late getting up," Lester said. "Emily and Megan [Crabtree] didn't seem to have too much difficulty hitting through the block."

Shannon would again lead James Wood (7-4) in kills, with 15. Hannah Tierney and Crabtree added four apiece, and setter Carly Mullin (29 assists) had her usual steady play at setter. Tierney also had three blocks, as James Wood took care of the Bulldogs in a little more than an hour and could start looking toward Thursday's crucial Northwestern District match at home with Millbrook.

"We're just really looking forward to Thursday," Shannon said. "We're really excited to play Millbrook."

The Bulldogs stayed with the Colonels throughout much of the first set, trailing only 16-14 after Emily Everson's ace down the far side capped a 3-0 run. With Martinsburg closing in, Peyton Clark gave James Wood just what it needed on the front row.

After Shannon got a kill by hitting through Pinkcett's block off the near side, Clark nailed a low return for another kill. Clark then got a second straight kill, off a set from Mullin, and Tierney got an ace. An attack error by Pinkcett helped James Wood extend its run to 5-0 and lead to 21-14, leading to another timeout by the Bulldogs.

"Peyton's like the little darkhorse on the team," Lester said. "She one of those kids that doesn't get a lot of credit, but the kid hardly ever makes a mistake. She's strong and someone we can count on."

Martinsburg never got closer than three the rest of the set and Crabtree got the winning point in the first set with a kill to the middle-front.

"It was really important [to win the first set] because we got the momentum and carried the momentum throughout the match," Shannon said.

After hanging with the Colonels early on, the Bulldogs gradually lost more zip as they went. The early shelling Pinkcett and her teammates received seemed to have a lingering effect.

Though she would lead the Bulldogs with six kills, Pinkcett was held to two blocks.

"The middle hitter [Pinkcett] did really well, but we caught on to it," Crabtree said.

Whenever the Bulldogs did mount attacks, the play of Cady Schaffer (14 digs) and Crabtree (11 digs) helped James Wood keep enough momentum to not lose hold of any of the three sets.

"I try to hustle as much as I can to make plays, so everybody can do well hitting," Crabtree said of her defense.

"It's always inspirational when one of our teammates is doing well [on the back row]," Shannon said. "Their energy just feeds off to everyone else."