Friday, November 13, 2009
Lord Botetourt wins showdown of Cavaliers
varsity.roanoke.com
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MONETA -- Lord Botetourt athletic director Chuck Pound might need a map. His school's volleyball team is going somewhere it has never been before: the state tournament.
By virtue of their 3-1 win over the Jefferson Forest Cavaliers in the Region III semifinals at Staunton River High School on Thursday, the Lord Botetourt Cavaliers earned a trip to the state tournament for the first time, as far as Pound knows.
"If we've been there before, I don't know about it. [We haven't] been in my 23 years," he said.
Lord Botetourt won 25-17, 25-22, 27-29, 25-19.
Outside hitter Macey Tyree might drive the bus to states --she seems to know the way. Tyree might only be 5-foot-6, short for the standards of elite hitters, but her soaring leap gets her right arm high enough above the net to pound the ball onto the opposition.
Tyree had 24 kills, including the final point of the match where she was set just behind the net at the left boundary and rocketed the ball into the middle of the floor. Even though Tyree gave the Jefferson Forest defense fits with her well-timed dinks, this was no time for a soft touch.
"I wanted to hit it hard. It's more exciting," Tyree said of her late-match strategy of favoring the power game.
When she used her power, her shot was as likely to be tucked inside the right-side boundary as the back line.
"The sharp cross -- I like that shot," she said.
Lindsey Smith had 21 kills and Jordan Hawkins had 13 for Jefferson Forest.
Lord Botetourt's Kristyn Brogan had five kills and four blocks. Katey Hall added 11 kills and nine digs. Keegan Brads had 45 assists.
Lord Botetourt coach Cheryl Shockley said defense comes first in practice.
"We're not a big team," Shockley said. "We have to play smart. We practiced blocks yesterday, penetrating the net, They played like they practiced."
Lord Botetourt keyed on Hawkins, knowing her shot is powerful and unusual because she's a left-hander.
Her kill gave Jefferson Forest a 28-27 lead in a wild third game Jefferson Forest had to win to stay alive. When the ball was hit into the net by Botetourt, Hawkins said she thought her team was back in the match.
"We never gave up hope, but it didn't work out in our favor," she said.
For Hawkins and JF setter Erin McIntyre, the foes on the other side of the net were as familiar as teammates -- because they are teammates on travel teams most of the year.
But that didn't ease the pain of losing.
Another key was unforced errors.
"We didn't make many," Shockley said.
Lord Botetourt kept the ball out of the net and inbounds better than Jefferson Forest, a fact noticed by JF coach Steve Mills.
"We made the errors. They played smart and let us make them," Mills said. "They completely outplayed us tonight."
Lord Botetourt will play E.C. Glass on Saturday for the Region III crown at a neutral site to be determined.
