Strasburg’s Carley Jenkins, left, and Warren County’s Ava Dickerson, right, meet at the net during volleyball action Tuesday night in Front Royal.
Warren County’s Sara Waller, right, hits over the net as Strasburg’s Hannah Merriner, left, defends.
Warren County’s Atori Lane, right, bumps the ball as she collides with teammate Natalya Carter, left, during volleyball action Tuesday night.
Strasburg’s Carley Jenkins, left, and Hannah Merriner, right, eye the ball during volleyball action Tuesday night in Front Royal.
Strasburg’s Carley Jenkins, left, goes up against Warren County’s Mackenzie Ellinger, right.
Strasburg’s Sydney Ferguson completes the third hit.
Strasburg’s Toni Rhodes dinks a shot over a pair of Wildcat defenders.
Strasburg’s Carley Jenkins, left, and Warren County’s Ava Dickerson, right, meet at the net during volleyball action Tuesday night in Front Royal.
Warren County’s Sara Waller, right, hits over the net as Strasburg’s Hannah Merriner, left, defends.
Warren County’s Atori Lane, right, bumps the ball as she collides with teammate Natalya Carter, left, during volleyball action Tuesday night.
Strasburg’s Carley Jenkins, left, and Hannah Merriner, right, eye the ball during volleyball action Tuesday night in Front Royal.
Strasburg’s Carley Jenkins, left, goes up against Warren County’s Mackenzie Ellinger, right.
Strasburg’s Sydney Ferguson completes the third hit.
Strasburg’s Toni Rhodes dinks a shot over a pair of Wildcat defenders.
FRONT ROYAL -- Nine returning starters, lofty goals, and first game jitters. Warren County overcame early nerves to win their season opener against Strasburg 26-24, 25-19, 25-11.
The Wildcats looked stronger in each set, but nearly dropped the first one. The Rams led the entire way, and at one point were up 24-20.
“Out of the gate I think we had a little bit of nerves. It was a packed house, and we’ve got some high expectations this year,” Warren County coach Lesley Detweiler admitted.
One of those nine returning players, senior Faryn Gorham, helped Warren County settle those nerves in the first set. Gorham had two spikes that looked like sure kills, that were both dug out by Strasburg senior Toni Rhodes. The two digs allowed the point to continue, and the Rams eventually won it, bringing them within one point of stealing the first set on the road.
The series was a frustrating one for Gorham, who has played varsity volleyball for the Wildcats for four seasons. She admitted it’s the kind of thing that would have derailed a set for the team when she was an underclassmen.
“If you’re a freshman on varsity and you mess up you kind of get in your head,” she explained.
Luckily for the Wildcats, Gorham isn’t a freshman anymore. She’s one of the Wildcats five seniors who have taken on leadership roles this season. Instead of getting in her own head, she kept focusing on the next point. A kill from sophomore Ava Dickerson, who led the Wildcats with 15, put Gorham on the service line. She served two aces, stayed on the line, and the Wildcats eventually won the set, 26-24.
“As I’ve grown up I know it’s not OK to make mistakes, but you have to forget about them and just move on,” Gorham explained.
The other big momentum swing came a little earlier in the set, when the large contingent of Warren County students stood up and started to cheer in a more energetic way than they had early in the set. Dickerson, a sophomore who also led the Wildcats with eight blocks, said seeing her classmates excited in the stands is always helpful.
“It definitely helps when they’re actually cheering for you,” she explained. “It makes you feel more excited and like more together.”
The momentum swings in the first set seemed to propel the Wildcats to smoother play in the next two, which they won more decisively. Warren County won set two 25-19 and then finished off the Rams with a 25-11 third set.
Offensively, senior Mackenzie Ellinger contributed five kills and four blocks. Senior Atori Lane led the team with five aces and also added four kills of her own. Sara Waller had a pair of kills while also leading the team with 19 assists as a setter.
On the Rams side, junior Hannah Fisher had seven kills and two blocks. Freshman Hannah Merriner recorded three aces. Senior Megan Martin led her team with 10 assists and senior Toni Rhodes had a solid all around game with two aces, a kill, and three digs.
While the Rams will look to improve before their Wednesday road game against Rappahannock, Warren County will look to build on the success they had late in their season opener. Detweiler said her team’s ability to overcome the early set adversity is a testament to the leadership and hard work of her upperclassmen.
“They have taken on the role of the standard,” she explained. “They’re really bought into what we’re trying to accomplish this year.”
Both Gorham and Dickerson were quick to talk about exactly what the Wildcats are trying to accomplish this year. The primary goal, win a region title after losing in the region title game one year earlier. The girls hope the team continues to improve throughout the year so that goal is attainable by the end of the season.
“We have higher standards for ourselves this year and we’re working to accomplish them,” Gorham said
Your comment has been submitted.
There was a problem reporting this.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.