Sometimes even when things are not broken, they do need fixing, or at least tweaking. Despite an unblemished record this season, Goochland coach Jennifer Erixon felt her Bulldogs needed a change. An injection of creativity. A new challenge.
“They seemed like they were stuck in a rut,” Erixon said. “They were too used to their normal routine and they were kind of bored with what they were doing, so I wanted them to get that energy, that drive back.”
Erixon shifted the lineup as well as employed a different offense and was pleased with the results.
The strategy paid dividends on Thursday night, as Goochland rolled past Greensville 3-0 (25-14, 25-7, 25-8) in the Conference 34 girls semifinals. The Bulldogs play host the winner of the Amelia/Nottoway match in the tournament final on Saturday at 4 p.m.
“I introduced it yesterday at 5 p.m., so they had 30 minutes of practice with it,” Erixon said. “I saw a lot of extra movement on the court that wasn’t there before, people taking charge that weren’t before — the leadership came out.”
Goochland, which hasn’t lost a set this year, broke to a 9-0 lead in the first game behind strong net play from Madelyn Ott and Josie Summitt’s performance at the service line.
The Bulldogs (21-0) also got a boost from hitters Alexis Wiggins (eight kills) and Maddie Goff in the set.
Goochland took an early lead in the second set before the visitors climbed back to tie it a 5-5. However, the Bulldogs went on a 19-2 tear to close out the set, as Kealie Lachniet found her groove at the service line. The sophomore finished with a game-high nine aces to go along with two digs.
“The past couple of games, we’ve struggled with our serves,” Erixon said. “We’ve really been focusing on serves and serve-receive because I’m a huge believer if you control the serve and control the serve-receive you control the game.”
The Bulldogs continued their dominance in the third set, jumping to a 13-1 advantage. Ott, who sat out most of the second set, helped lead a balanced attack in the third. The senior, who will play at Georgia State next year, finished with nine kills, four aces and a block. Summitt, a senior setter, finished with four aces to go along with her 36 assists.
Ott said that the change was just what the team needed as Goochland gets farther into the postseason.
“That was really fun. It was a good change and good for everyone to play different spots,” Ott said. “We all get along, which is really important in team unity and I think if we didn’t have that, we wouldn’t be where we are.”
Added Erixon: “It was nice to see their faces light up again. It’s like a whole new love again for the game because they have a new challenge.”
A Goochland win Saturday would give the Bulldogs home-court advantage for the first round of the region tournament on Tuesday.
