By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplay.com contributor
PALMYRA — Fresh off a win over Western Albemarle, Fluvanna County showed no signs of loosening its grip on the Jefferson District title race Thursday night. The Flucos notched a thrilling 3-2 victory over Albemarle to retain sole possession of first place in the district.
The Patriots rallied to take the fourth game, 26-24, but the Flucos quickly regained the momentum. The home team broke to a 6-0 lead in the deciding match behind a strong performance from Maddy Kline at the service line and at the net. The senior led the way with 25 kills and five aces on the night. Kline’s counterpart at the net, Leslie Walters, helped to boost the lead to 12-6 before the visitors climbed back into it. Albemarle pulled within one point (13-12) on a Stephanie Lugus kill, but a few minutes later Walters put the finishing touches on the Patriots with a kill of her own. Walters finished with 19 kills in the win, which gives Fluvanna two game lead on the rest of the district.
“Albemarle’s a great team and they were hitting the ball well. They were playing so smart offensively, we were having to adjust on the fly defensively,” Fluvanna coach Christi Harlowe-Garrett said. “It was just a great night and the ball ended up in our favor this time.”
Fluvanna rebounded after dropping the opening match, but continued to battle for the lead in the second game. In fact, the Patriots led 23-19 before the Flucos called a timeout to regroup. Fluvanna scored six unanswered points, including a pair of aces by Kate Stutz, to take the match, 25-23.
“We started out as the aggressors in the first match and really played well in the first set and then we got a little out of sync and we never really returned to being aggressive on the front row like we should have,” Albemarle coach Mark Ragland said. “We just got more tentative and in that second set we had a couple of balls drop and that kind of worked to get our confidence out the window.”
Fluvanna got into a groove in the third, as it jumped out to a 9-2 lead it never relinquished. Kylee Dixon provided a spark for the Flucos with three consecutive aces and they rolled to a 25-11 win. Dixon, a senior, finished with five aces. Walters and Kline were a strong presence up front, combining for seven kills in the set.
For Albemarle, Lugus led the way with 14 kills and three blocks, Ellie Benning tallied 26 assists and Taylor Bauman gave a strong defensive performance with 18 digs. Paige Hanssen finished with 12 service points.
Fluvanna plays host to Orange on Tuesday, while Albemarle entertains Western Albemarle.
