September 14, 2010

By Mark Sawyer
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER- Make no mistake about it, Strasburg High School has a very good volleyball team - which makes what James Wood did Monday night that much more impressive.

The Colonels rolled over the visiting Rams like they were a small speed bump, winning 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-16) to sweep the season series and claim their fifth non-district win in six tries.

"Definitely feels good to win," James Wood coach Jill Lester said. "We've been working incredibly hard at practice, and hard work pays off. The way we performed tonight is just the way we practice - with just as much intensity. Watching tonight was fun. It was like a celebration of all the hard work in practice."

The Colonels used a sustained run to break open each of the three sets.

James Wood (5-1) broke a 9-9 tie in the first set behind the serving of Megan Crabtree. Crabtree served three straight points, including an ace and a block from Emily Shannon, to give the Colonels the lead for good.

Strasburg (4-2, with both losses coming to James Wood) kept it close and pulled to within 16-14 before a pair of Colonels took over to close out the first set. After a Rams service error made it 17-14, Hannah Tierney stepped to the line and served the Colonels to game point. Tierney rattled off seven straight points with some help from Peyton Clark's four kills and another by Crabtree to make it 24-14.

"This win definitely gives us a boost of confidence," Tierney said. "They're a scrappy team and it feels good knowing we played well against them. Right now we're just gonna continue playing our game, play hard and see what happens."

The second set may be as close to domination as the Rams have seen all year - at least against them. The Colonels broke a 4-4 tie with five straight points behind a pair of kills and a well placed tip from Tierney.

A 15-5 run allowed the Colonels to close out the second set and take a commanding led in the match. Tierney led the way with seven kills and an ace while Crabtree and Shannon each chipped in five service points. Of the 12 points Strasburg scored in the set, seven came on James Wood service errors.

"Everything during the season is very important. All the wins are important, and we just learn from everything," Shannon said. "Strasburg's a good team. It's a big win, and everyone is so pumped right now."

Shannon played a key role in the third set, leading the way with three kills, three aces, and six service points. The set was tied four times, the last being at 13-13 before Wood rallied for three straight points to take the lead for good.

Strasburg had an opportunity to get back into the set, serving down 17-15, but a service error gave it back to the Colonels.

Shannon stepped to the line and immediately served two aces to make it 20-15 and spark a 7-1 run to end the match.

As well as James Wood played, the feeling was not the same in the visiting locker room.

"It was awful," Strasburg coach Susan Mathias said. "We couldn't pass the ball. If you can't pass the ball, you're not gonna get any part of the rest of the game going.

"We've got to do the little things. When you play a good team, you can't give free points, and you've got to be at the top of your game, and we were not. [James Wood is] very good, and I think they'll go very far."

The Colonels don't start Northwestern District play until Sept. 22 (against Skyline), but they're already getting anxious for it.

"We can't wait for district play," Lester said. "We've played six matches and I think we're ready to see a district match."