By Liz Keller / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
PALMYRA – Monticello’s volleyball team prevailed 3-2 in its Jefferson District matchup with Fluvanna County Tuesday night, but not without getting a test from an inexperienced buy feisty Flucos team.
The visiting Mustangs took the first two sets, but Fluvanna bounced back to win two straight to force a fifth game. Monticello pulled away in the deciding set with a strong performance at the service line for its second district victory.
“They definitely made us work for it,” said Monticello coach John Mitchem of the win. “The week of practice hadn’t been great, and we came in and Fluvanna pushed us around on the court. I thought our second set was a real confidence-builder and really helped our mentality. It showed we can come back after such a big deficit.”
The Mustangs cruised to a 25-15 win in the opening set, but found themselves trailing 15-9 in the second after the Flucos went on a 9-0 spurt to take control. Fluvanna got key net play from Taylor Beck and several aces from Hannah Miller during the run.
However, Monticello battled back and took advantage of the Flucos’ miscues to escape with the 26-24 win.
“We dug ourselves a hole — they put us in some tough situations,” Mitchem added. “We had very high errors and thankfully we were able to pull it out.”
In the third game, Monticello broke to an 11-6 lead behind solid serving from Amy Skolnick, Brittany Scott and Trystam Carr before Fluvanna took control. Miller (14 kills, six aces) and Terry Crickenberger provided key play for the Flucos during the rally.
The fourth game was close throughout — in fact, there were six ties and three lead changes during the set.
Monticello (6-6, 2-0 Jefferson) got off to a strong start with a pair of aces from Mariah Williams. Teammate Charlotte Devine also tallied two aces as the visitors took a 6-5 lead. The Mustangs began to pull away with strong play up front from senior Kate Geldmacher, who recorded a team-high 15 kills.
But the Flucos wouldn’t go away, rallying from a 22-18 deficit. Fluvanna tied the game at 23-23 with an ace from Miller, then hung on for the 28-26 win.
“They showed a lot of guts, they showed a lot of composure,” said Fluvanna coach Christi Harlowe, who was pleased with the progress her young squad has made. “They put the ball in hard spots, reading the defense and trying to put the ball where they weren’t. I think that’s amazing, because they’re reading the court better.”
Although the Flucos continued to keep it close in the final set, Monticello’s service game proved to be too much for the home team.
Devine led the way with seven aces to go along with seven kills, Taylor Hopkins tallied six aces and 21 digs, and Williams finished with 33 assists and five aces. Carla Brooks and Molly Relken recorded seven kills apiece.
Monticello travels to Goochland on Thursday while Fluvanna visits William Monroe.
