By Luke Nadkarni / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
The Fluvanna volleyball team closed out its regular season in a tough environment at Western Albemarle Friday night, being pushed in three tight sets by the Warriors but coming out victorious in each to take home a 3-1 victory 25-19, 25-23, 28-26, spoiling Western’s senior night. The victory also completed an unbeaten run through the Jefferson District by the Flucos in 2014.
Maddy Kline totaled nine kills for the Flucos, while Leslie Walters added three.
The first set was tight until about midway through, when the Flucos went on a 4-0 spurt to break a 12-all tie. The Warriors never got closer than three in the set and Fluvanna took it 25-19. As it turned out, that would be the easiest set for the Flucos all night.
“We made some mistakes, but we came through and we fought hard,” Harlowe-Garrett said. “Without that leadership on the court, we’re a different team.”
The Warriors came back strong in the second frame, leading by as many as five at 11-6 on consecutive kills by Olivia Nichols. Harlowe-Garrett called a timeout and it seemed to have a positive effect as the Flucos won the next three points and eventually forged ahead 13-12 on a Western error. The Warriors fought back and seemed to have wrestled control of the set when they opened up a 23-19 lead on a Sienna Kellum kill, but Fluvanna once again had an answer, taking the final six points of the set for a 2-0 lead.
“We talked about getting into our groove and not playing the opponent’s game,” Harlowe-Garrett said. “Western was playing tough, which made it hard to stay in our game.”
In the third, it looked as if Fluvanna would cruise to victory when they used a 13-4 run to turn a 6-6 tie into a 19-10 lead. Western answered with a spirited 13-4 run of its own, forcing Harlowe to call another timeout. The teams traded points until 26-26, when a Tiffani Shaheen kill and a Western error handed the Flucos the match.
Kelsey Grove led Western with 10 kills and 13 digs. Hannah Miles had 15 digs while Erin Farina and Elissa Simpson combined to dish out 29 assits.
The Flucos will host a match next Wednesday in the Conference 23 tournament while Western jumps into Conference 29 play. Both opponents have yet to be determined.
