Speed kills.
E.C. Glass proved that maxim to be true in the sport of volleyball Monday night in the Region III tournament opener against visiting Waynesboro.
The Hilltoppers ran their quick-strike attack nearly flawlessly in the first game of a 25-9, 25-17, 25-15 sweep of the Lady Giants, setting the tone for the match that lasted just over an hour.
“They ran a quicker offense than what we’re used to,” Waynesboro coach Lori Aleshire said. “We didn’t see anything like that in our (Southern Valley) District.”
Following powerful spike kills down the left sideline, Glass outside hitter Kim Amerell served four consecutive aces in both the first and third games, extending the Hilltoppers’ lead to 13-5 in the first and 11-8 in the third.
“She was on her game tonight (especially) on her serve,” Glass coach David Cardwell said of Amerell. “She took care of business.”
“I’ve been struggling with my serve lately, so it was nice to come out and put them away,” Amerell added.
On a team that starts six seniors, including middle hitter Meg Kenny (14 kills, 3 blocks), Amerell (12 kills, 9 aces) and setter Taylor Riley (34 assists, 9 digs), the Hilltoppers (22-2) played with a sense of urgency. This was their first appearance in Region III, after shifting to the Seminole District from the Group AAA Western Valley this fall.
“We came out in the first game and we all realized if we lost tonight, our season was over,” Amerell said. “So we came out and put them away.”
“I was impressed with our play tonight,” Cardwell added. “We came out hitting on all eight cylinders.”
Perhaps the most impressive statistic for Waynesboro (17-7), which got seven kills and two blocks from Rachel Binda and six assists from setter Taylor DeWitt, was Toya Diggs’ 13 digs, as the Giants stayed on the defensive for most of the match.
“They had really good servers so we couldn’t serve receive or execute on our side,” Aleshire said. “Volleyball’s a game of runs so if you get a good run going, you get the momentum.”
The Hilltoppers trailed 16-15 in the second game before closing on a 10-1 run on a seven-point service streak by Shelby Davies.
Glass expects a stiffer challenge in tonight’s quarterfinal match set for 7 at Spotswood, which has beaten Waynesboro.
“I’ve seen them play,” Cardwell said of the Trailblazers. “They’re tough, but I feel if we play like we did tonight, we can hold our own against them.”
“We usually struggle on the road,” Amerell added. “Hopefully, we can come out and play our game.”
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