Saturday, November 14, 2009
North Cross volleyball makes VIS final
Emma Caveness and Marli Dabareiner give the Raiders a shot at their first state title since 1994.
Photo courtesy of Scott Craig
North Cross coach Heather Donaho (center) talks to her team during Friday's VIS Division III semifinal match with Holy Cross.
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Home-court advantage is a good thing come postseason time. Right?
There's no travel involved, pre-game meals are home-cooked and the term "hostile crowd" isn't used because it's the other team that is taking the flak.
That's why they call it an advantage.
North Cross volleyball player Emma Caveness wasn't quite sure if she saw it that way as she saw the stands begin to fill up prior to the Raiders' VIS Division III semifinal match with Holy Cross of Lynchburg.
"Easier to play in front of this crowd?" Caveness questioned the question. "Actually, I'd say it was [harder]. At least at the start.
"I mean you know everyone here. I say I actually feel more pressure."
That's not to say that Caveness wasn't grateful for the almost-packed Carter Athletic Center gym Friday.
And if there was pressure it didn't overwhelm Caveness or her teammates.
The Raiders made quick work of Holy Cross, downing the Gaels 25-17, 25-15, 25-19, and advanced to today's 10 a.m. title game with unbeaten Brunswick Academy of Exemore.
Caveness played an important role in the victory, showing off her skills at what is probably the most pressure-packed part of volleyball -- serving.
Of the 75 points North Cross scored, 22 came on Caveness serves -- including 11 straight in the second game, when the Raiders turned a 1-0 deficit into an 11-2 advantage.
Holy Cross never recovered.
"That was big for us," said North Cross coach Heather Donaho, who was a player when the Raiders last won a state volleyball title in 1994.
"They were real disciplined once we got that lead, and didn't let [Holy Cross] back in the game."
When Caveness was serving, she was also getting plenty of help up front from her hitters -- led on Friday by Marli Dabareiner, who had several of her 11 kills during Caveness' serving run in Game 2.
Sarah Jessee finished with 25 assists for the Raiders.
Dabareiner said that when she saw the partisan crowd waiting for the game to be played, she was invigorated. Although there was one small criticism.
"It could be cooler in here," she said. "When you get a big crowd in here, it really heats up.
"But all this is really exciting. With this being my last year and the way the last two seasons have gone, I'm really hoping we can win it this time."
North Cross was beaten in the semifinals in the 2007 state tourney and then lost to Grace Christian in last year's final.
Donaho said if the Raiders can play another match today like they had on Friday, that would be a good start toward claiming the trophy.
"[Brunswick] has a couple of good hitters and they serve real well," she said.
"But it's just like the way it's been all season. If we hit well, serve well and play solid on the net, we can come out on top."
