Vincent's defense, leadership key for Wood volleyball

WINCHESTER — If you look up Carsyn Vincent’s BMX bicycle racing results online, you’ll find a series of impressive performances at both the state and national level.

But while competing in a national competition as 9-year-old, Vincent got hit hard by another girl, her helmet flew off, and she fell and smacked her head hard. She was carried off the track and taken to the hospital with a severe concussion, and that turned out to be the end of her BMX career.

“I was pretty much traumatized,” Vincent said.

Scary stuff for someone so young, but the James Wood senior can talk about it with a laugh now. After all, some good came out of the incident — it paved the way for her to start an unforgettable volleyball career.

Now a 5-foot-1 libero, the Colonels’ shortest player is as big a reason as any that James Wood will be playing in just its second-ever state championship match on Saturday at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center in Richmond. The Colonels (25-1) take on Grafton (28-2) at 4:30 p.m.

A First Team All-Northwestern District and Second Team All-Region 4C selection, Vincent ranked second among area players in digs during the regular season (she now has 358), and she leads the Colonels in aces with 65. Along with fellow senior Melia Burch, Vincent is also one of James Wood’s two captains.

Colonels coach Adrienne Patrick can’t really imagine being at James Wood without her. Vincent was her team manager as a seventh- and eighth-grader during her first two years as the Colonels’ JV coach, played for Patrick as a freshman on the JV team, and has been with her throughout her three years as varsity coach.

“She’s continuously grown, she’s been a strong player, and her passion for playing volleyball and being involved is evident in everything that she does,” Patrick said. “I’m not saying that she always knows what I’m going to say before I say it, but there’s a very familial relationship. We’re comfortable with each other. She can talk to me about things and I can speak to her about things, and I know she can tell everybody else if something is the need at the time.”

Vincent said she was more than ready to leave BMX behind after her injury, and she’s loved volleyball ever since she started playing. Her mother Sue played volleyball in high school when she lived in Pottsville, Pa., and suggested that as a new activity.

Vincent started off playing in Frederick County Parks & Recreation, moved over to Apple Valley Volleyball Club at the Sportsplex in Winchester — as a 10-year-old she played with 13-year-olds, and she continuously played with older players — and then joined the Blue Ridge Volleyball Association when she was 13.

She was actually a setter until she focused on a defensive role as a sophomore. Vincent loved being a setter, but she also knew she could excel on the back row, so the transition was a smooth one.

“I really love the adrenaline of passing a really fast-hit ball,” Vincent said.

Vincent had already proved herself as all-around player at that point. For example, in the summer of 2019 she and Handley star Lindsay Pifer placed ninth out of 66 teams in the 14-and-under Region Division at the USA Volleyball Junior Beach Championships in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Vincent began playing beach volleyball with Blue Ridge four years ago.

“If you’re decent at beach volleyball, indoors is so much easier [as a back row player], because you’re able to read the ball so much quicker,” Vincent said.

Patrick said she’s always liked Vincent’s setting skills. Vincent still finds herself in positions to set the ball in matches and has 74 assists this year, and she helps out in practice with setting. But having her in a defensive role was the best thing for Vincent and the team, and it’s showed. Whether she’s passing a ball hit directly at her or diving to the floor to dig the ball up, Vincent’s going to give a strong effort.

“She’s always been able to read [the ball] well, and move and pass the ball well,” Patrick said.

Vincent recorded 61 digs in nine matches in the condensed Frederick County volleyball season of 2021, and at the end of the season she was awarded a libero jersey as a way to recognize how hard she’s worked, and the Colonels’ faith in her future. Vincent has thrived in the designated back row position ever since. She recorded 435 digs to rank second in the area and earn Second Team All-District honors as a junior.

“My sophomore year, I feel like I was kind of timid,” Vincent said. “I would go for a ball and then I’d back off sometimes because I’d get scared [of interfering with] the other person next to me. But I feel I’ve grown so much and I don’t do that much. I’m there to take the ball when I need to.”

Junior Hannah McCullough — one of the Colonels’ two main setters along with junior Paige Ahakuelo — said Vincent is a comforting presence at libero.

“I can always rely on her to get the ball up, that’s for sure,” McCullough said. “She’s a very smart player and definitely knows the game very well.”

Vincent’s serving technique is an aspect of her game that’s improved greatly this year. She ranked 14th in the area with 40 aces last year, but she’s caused opponents fits a lot more this season. In the Class 4 quarterfinals against E.C. Glass, she had eight aces.

“My serving has surprised me, even,” Vincent said. “I found a way to hit the ball where I don’t have to swing as hard. I hit it with the palm of my hand, and it just makes it float and it moves the ball down. I’ve been working on that for years.”

Patrick said she always been able to count on Vincent’s serving ability. “I lean on her to be able to serve aggressively,” Patrick said.

Vincent has long looked forward to making her mark with the James Wood volleyball team. As team manager in middle school she looked up to the high school players, and she appreciated having them take her under their wing.

As a team captain this year, Vincent has enjoyed the responsibility of creating a strong environment on and off the court. It hasn’t been hard to do. Eight of James Wood’s 11 players are varsity returners, and all the girls also know each other for years through Blue Ridge Volleyball.

“We’re all friends and get along,” Vincent said. “We all instantly clicked this year. We don’t have any major fights. We don’t talk bad about each other. We have a connection like no other team.”

McCullough said Vincent helps a great deal with that connection in what’s been a truly special year for the Colonels.

“I love Carsyn,” she said. “She has this really funny laugh which always brings light to a situation. And she’s very helpful when you need her. I always go to her when I have a question about the game. If I can tell I’m doing something wrong, I always go to her because she’s really helpful with just everything.

“She’s always there for you and is a really good friend to everyone.”

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at
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