Sunday, November 15, 2009
Raiders claim Division III crown
varsity.roanoke.com
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They no longer have to hear it.
North Cross' volleyball team needs no more motivation from head coach Heather Donaho about what it feels like to win a state title in a Raider uniform.
Now the 10 current North Cross players have their VIS state title.
And it has a nice ring to it.
North Cross won its first VIS championship since 1994 -- when Donaho was a star player -- as the Raiders outclassed previously unbeaten Broadwater Academy 25-16, 25-16, 25-22 on their home floor at Carter Athletic Center.
Tournament MVP Marli Dabareiner -- one of four senior starters -- powered North Cross (22-3) with 16 kills including one on match point, giving the Raiders and Donaho the crown after they lost in the final last year to seven-time champion Grace Christian.
"I think we all wanted it from last year," Dabareiner said. "It was our turn. Everyone knew that. She didn't want it for her. She wanted it for us."
There was little doubt about the outcome of the title match.
North Cross possessed superior athleticism, fundamentals and experience along with the home-court advantage. The combination was far too much for Broadwater (21-1), a school located on Virginia's Eastern Shore where premier opponents are hard to find.
"I had no idea what to expect," Broadwater coach Kim Laxton said. "We just came in kind of blind to the whole situation. It's an accomplishment for us just to be here.
"This is the toughest competition we've had."
While Broadwater struggled with its service returns and left high-leaping Kristin Collins neutralized, North Cross had no such trouble.
Raiders setter Sarah Jessee comfortably and consistently fed Dabareiner and Emma Caveness for open smashes from the left side.
"She's amazing," Donaho said. "We have a lot of offense we can go to, and I don't have to worry when Sarah's on the floor."
Jessee had 28 assists, while Caveness had eight kills. Hilary Cox had four blocks including a momentum-changer against Collins in Game 1.
"I think it all jelled together today," Donaho said.
"We watched them in the 10 o'clock match yesterday and I knew that if we could handle [Collins] and play our game that we would be all right."
Collins had a season-low nine kills for Broadwater, which suffered a tragedy two weeks ago when assistant Tommy Northam was killed in a wreck while driving a gas truck.
"It's been really tough, really tough for the girls, very emotional," Laxton said. "We had to play our Metro tournament, the next day we had to go to a funeral. He was a teacher, but he didn't like the hours, so he decided to do that as a living. He would leave his house at 2 o'clock in the morning and get to school at 3 in the afternoon. He would coach practice and go to the games. He did that every day."
Donaho applauded the Vikings' effort.
"To play the way they did and come back from a tragedy like that, it takes a lot of heart," the North Cross coach said.
The Raiders had their own motivation. Dabareiner said Donaho kept them in the moment, not back in 1994.
"It was more the heart," Dabareiner said. "It was like, 'If you have the heart, you will go to states and win.'
"And obviously the ring factor was kind of a big thing."
Dabareiner, Jessee, Anna Black and Mary McConaughy will be gone next year. Will the next title come before 2024?
"We're graduating four starters and I've got some great kids coming up," Donaho said. "It will not be another 15 years."
