STUARTS DRAFT — The Staunton River Golden Eagles ended Stuarts Draft’s volleyball season on Monday night, sweeping the Cougars in three decisive games, 25-12, 25-17, 25-14, during the first round of the Region III tournament.
Combining an impressive defensive effort with solid execution and precise hitting, the battle-tested Golden Eagles from the Blue Ridge District dominated the match from the start, leaving head coach Rich Northrup pleased.
“Our team, especially the six seniors, really wanted this game badly,” Northrup said. “They really responded tonight and our blocking up front gave them problems.”
The Eagles fell behind in Game 1 as Ariel Christy led an early Cougar charge with two aces and five service points, pushing Draft to an 8-5 advantage. Staunton River responded via six points from Jordan Merrill to take an 11-8 lead. The Eagles used that rally from Merrill as a springboard, closing the game on a 20-4 run to take a 1-0 lead.
The Cougars jumped out to another early lead in Game 2 as well, but the Eagles stopped Draft’s momentum as their defense, which recorded 17 blocks on the night, began to take over. Blocks from Merrill, Allison Shrewsbury and Brianna Holden increased the Eagles’ lead and gave the visitors an emotional spark they would ride to a 25-17 victory.
“We knew that they had some pretty good hitters and we wanted to be up to the challenge,” Jordan Merrill said. “Fortunately we were able to step up and we had a big night as a team.”
Despite facing a 0-2 deficit, the Cougars opened the third game with energy and hitters McKenna Carter and Callie Updike played big at the net, keeping Draft close. Two big blocks from Shrewsbury, however, sparked an Eagles’ rally that featured eight straight service points from Chelsea Eary. Staunton River closed the game on a 13-5 run to clinch the match, setting up a match against former district rival Jefferson Forrest tonight.
Merrill had nine kills and four blocks for the Eagles while teammate Allison Shrewsbury had six kills and six blocks. Setter Sarah Woodford led the team with 22 assists.
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