On Saturday morning, Albemarle volleyball defeated Harrisonburg 3-0 in the opening round of the Region 5D playoffs.
The Patriots knew it was do-or-die in this one as they officially began their Region 5D championship defense.
“We knew that this could’ve been our last game had we not won it, so it’s just nice to continue our season,” said senior Maya Winterhoff.
Winterhoff and the Patriots were as potent as ever with Winterhoff having 20 kills, 4 aces, and 6 digs to the winning effort. Setter CC Smith also contributed 29 assists and 6 digs of her own. Overall, Albemarle has a considerably younger roster than the spring region championship squad did, with only a 3-player senior class. However, the young Patriots stepped up to the challenge when they were needed.
Freshman Laci Mann had three aces and racked up a serious amount of service points. Also, freshman Presley Stroud and Grace Sembrowich contributed well defensively.
“I see the older kids taking a sort of mentoring leadership position with those younger kids, and that’s good for the older players to remind themselves of the basics, and to bring everyone along as a team,” said Albemarle head coach Lance Rogers.
Rogers actively tries to instill in his upperclassmen leadership abilities that will contribute to the future of his Patriot program.
“I think it’s good to help the underclassmen and lead them…showing them how to stay positive if we’re losing or if we get down a couple of points,” said senior Maddy Ott.
Although Harrisonburg lost the two previous meetings in the season to Albemarle, they still showed their fight. Junior Kai Blosser had 12 kills, and setter Maya Waid had 14 assists and 5 digs. However, it wasn’t enough to stop Albemarle.
Albemarle looks to continue defending their region title defense, taking on Patrick Henry in Roanoke on Tuesday night.
