Fluvanna dominated out of the gate, running out to an 8-point lead in game one but the advantage crumbled under a relentless performance from the Madison defense. The Mountaineers rallied and won the opening game, closing with a 5-1 run to gain the early upper-hand.
“That was a lot of strong serving and never giving up,” said Madison coach Lindsay Von Herbulis.
But the Flucos regrouped, found their stride and promptly picked up a 3-1 victory over the Mountaineers.
“It’s like a teeter-totter—we work on this and it gets better and we just keep growing,” said Fluvanna coach Christi Harlowe-Garrett. “They’re at a fantastic place to be in the preseason.”
Hannah Miller powered the Flucos during the bounce back, unleashing 21 kills and four blocks over the four-game outing. Miller was hitting over the top of the Madison block most of the night, showcasing the leaping ability that’s earned her a chance to play at the next level at Christopher Newport.
“Yeah, we love her,” Harlowe-Garrett said. “She played hard. She leads by her actions, by her communication — she leads and that of course shows in the stats.”
Miller spearheaded a 25-23 victory in game two and a dominant 25-15 win in game three that put the Flucos in control. Fluvanna then wrapped up the game with a 25-14 victory in the decisive fourth game.
Miller wasn’t the only member of the frontline that found a groove for Fluvanna. Leslie Walters, Emily Haden and Maddy Kline all got in on the act. Walters finished with seven kills while Haden checked in with six kills. Kline had seven kills, with four of them and a block coming in game four.
Madison County may have struggled to unseat the Flucos in the final three games, but the Mountaineers fought admirably against Fluvanna’s hard-hitting front line. Chandler Gentry ingnited Madison with nine kills and 22 digs. Gentry and the rest of Madison’s defensive performance drew Miller’s eye.
“They were really scrappy,” Miller said. “They had everything up—I thought I had a great kill and then they had the ball up. It was just exciting volleyball.”
Logan Coates rang up eight kills on the night while middles Cassity Lacy and Sheridan Santinga finished with four blocks each. Madison has, for the first time under Von Herbulis, moved to a 6-2 system, with three setters actually factoring into the mix. Tuesday, Bailey Colvin and Emily Shifflett each had 11 assists.
Madison is 2-1 on the year now and will try and move to 3-1 Thursday at home against Luray. Fluvanna faces off against Liberty Bealeton Thursday at 7:15 p.m.
