Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009

Report: Ridge View volleyball

Volleyball: Blythewood outlasts Ridge View in 5-set Region 4-4A marathon (21-25, 25-22, 22-25, 26-24, 15-11)

In their final Region 4-4A match of the 2009 season, the Ridge View Blazers volleyball team hosted the 7th-ranked Blythewood Bengals on Thursday, 10/22/09. The Bengals entered the match in a tie for first in the region with Rock Hill at 8-1. Ridge View, after 3 consecutive region wins, came into the match tied for 3rd in the region with Spring Valley at 5-4. Obviously, this final match carried opening round seeding implications for both teams in the 4A state tournament next week.

This was really an amazing match, with each set going down to the wire with both teams having legitimate chances at the end of all 5 sets. It would be hard to describe how close this 5-set match was from start to finish, but you can look no further than the overall numbers to get an idea. There were 216 total points scored in the 5 sets. Of these 216 points, Blythewood scored 109 and Ridge View 107. In talking to Bengal libero Courtney Personsƒ dad late in the match, he aptly described it as an ‚ESPN Instant Classicƒ, which is about as well as you can describe it.

Set 1 started close with a tie score at 14. The Blazers pulled away slightly to lead by 4 at 21-17, but Blythewood scored the next 3 to get within one at 21-20. Ridge View then rallied to score 4 of the next 5 points to win the set 25-21. Blythewood responded in set 2 by getting out to a large 12 point lead at 22-10, before Ridge View answered by scoring 12 of the next 14 points to get to within 2 points at 22-24 before the Bengals scored the set-winning point to make it 25-22. Set 3 was reversed as the Blazers built an 18-12 lead, only to see Blythewood score 10 of the next 11 points to take the lead 22-19. Ridge View then answered the Bengal rally with one of their own by scoring the last 6 frenzied points to take the all-important 3rd set 25-22.

In the 4th set, the Blazers had a chance to close things out as they took a 4 point lead at 12-8, but Blythewood again was able to run off 9 of the next 12 points to take their own lead 17-15. Blythewood maintained the 2 point margin at 23-21, until the Blazers scored a pair of unanswered points to tie the match at 23. After trading points to make it 24 apiece, a Ridge View serve error turned the ball over to the Bengals, who closed out the set by scoring the final point to win the set 26-24. Losing this hard-fought 4th set may have taken some wind out of the Ridge View sails, as Blythewood took a quick 6-2 lead in the 15-point shortened 5th set. The Blazers battled back to within 2 at 6-8, but was not able to get closer than 3 points thereafter, as Blythewood went on to win the final set 15-11.

For Ridge View, this was their best overall effort from start to finish of this season. They played inspired volleyball throughout, and rarely will you see a group of girls want to win as badly as they did this night. Unfortunately for the Blazers however, the Blythewood group also played with energy and motivation, and they were relentless in their ability to shut down a rally with a thunderous hit from Andrea Keesee, a big block at the net by middle blocker Courtney Williams, or a great dig and pass from libero Courtney Persons. In defeat however, several Ridge View players shared the limelight with outstanding nights of their own. Sophomore middle blocker/hitter Diara Lewis had a huge offensive night, blasting a season-high 26 kills on the night, adding a pair of serve aces, and contributing defensively with 11 digs. Senior setter Megan Woodall effectively mixed front row and back row sets in an attempt to avoid the strong Blythewood block, on her way to an impressive season-high 45 assists. Woodall, in a complete effort, also tied for the team-lead with 5 serve aces, put away 5 kills, and covered the floor defensively with a season-high 17 digs. Junior blocker/hitter Keyaira Stevenson was a force, hammering 17 kills (many with authority), making her presence felt at the net with 2 solo blocks and 2 block assists, and also defensively digging 11 Bengal attacks. Senior Hannah Cox was strong behind the line, tying for the team-lead in serve aces with 5.

This was very tough loss for the Blazers, who had a chance to take out the powerful and 7th-ranked Bengals, but it is difficult to classify this one with other losses. The Blazers played with as much heart and desire as you can ask for, playing step for step with a very talented group of Bengals.

The loss moves Ridge Viewƒs region record to 5-5, 13-8 overall. The Blazers won the tie-break (based on points in non-Region schedule) with Spring Valley and finished 3rd in Region 4-4A. They will take on the 2nd-seeded team from Region 3, the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets at Fort Mill on Tuesday, October 27. The Rock Hill Bearcats won their tie-break with Blythewood, and will enter the playoffs as the #1 seed from Region 4, taking on Clover in round 1. Blythewood, as the #2 seed from region 4, will take on the 3rd-seeded team from region 3, the Northwestern Trojans.

Ridge View (13-8, 5-5) vs Blythewood (12-3, 9-1) 2-3 (25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 24-26, 11-15)

Megan Woodall 45 Assists, 5 Kills, 17 Digs, 5 Aces. Diara Lewis 26 Kills, 11 Digs, 2 Aces, 4 Assists, 1 Block solo. Keyaira Stevenson 17 Kills, 11 Digs, 1 Ace, 3 Assists, 2 Block solo, 2 Block assists. Hannah Cox 4 Kills, 6 Digs, 5 Aces, 1 Assist. Raven Ashe 1 Kill, 2 Aces, 9 Digs, 1 Assist. Ronnisha Willis 2 Kills, 4 Digs, 4 Aces. Kendra Vaughn 1 Kill, 1 Block assist. Desiree Likely 1 Dig, 1 Block assist.

Volleyball: Blazers get above .500 at 5-4 in Region 4-4A with 3-set win over South Pointe (25-20, 25-19, 25-20)

The Ridge View Blazers volleyball team travelled to South Pointe on Tuesday, 10/20/09 for a Region 4-4A match against the Stallions. The Blazers entered the match with a 4-4 region record, following consecutive wins over Spring Valley and Lancaster, placing them in a tie for 3rd place in the region with Spring Valley.

The Blazers won the previous meeting between these two teams 3-1, but in a recent meeting with the 5th-ranked 4A Rock Hill Bearcats, the South Pointe team stretched the Top-10 team to a 5-set match before ultimately losing the 5th set. In set 1 of this match, Ridge View got out to an early 12-8 lead, and maintained a similar margin for the rest of the set, going on to win 25-20. In set 2, the Blazers started quickly, jumping out to a 17-8 lead. South Pointe battled back to close the margin to 5 points at 23-18, but the Blazers large early lead prevailed as they won the second set 25-19.

A big plus for the Blazers has been the return of junior middle blocker/hitter Keyaira Stevenson from illness, who missed the first 6 region matches of the season. The return of Stevenson gives senior setter Megan Woodall an additional option as a hitter from both the front and back row, making the offense much more difficult to defend and predict. This was evident in this match as Woodall varied her sets, with Stevenson banging down 14 kills, and sophomore middle blocker/hitter Diara Lewis putting away 13. Woodall, using the additional hitter options, distributed 31 assists in the 3-set match. In the 3 matches since Stevensonƒs return, the Blazers have only lost 1 set in wins over Spring Valley, Lancaster, and South Pointe.

In the 3rd set, the Blazers again took an early 12-6 lead, keeping the 6-point margin with scores of 20-14 and 23-17. The Stallions rallied late to score 3 of the next 4 points before Ridge View closed the set out at 25-20.

For Ridge View, Keyaira Stevenson had a team-leading 14 kills, adding 9 digs defensively also. Megan Woodall handed out 31 assists, put down 3 kills of her own, and added 8 digs. Diara Lewis also played both ends, putting away 13 kills, and digging up 9 attacks. Senior libero Raven Ashe had a team-leading 10 digs, and was also strong behind the line with 4 serve aces. Senior Hannah Cox had 7 kills, and senior Ronnisha Willis had 3 serve aces, 1 solo block and 2 block assists.

The win moves Ridge Viewƒs region record to 5-4, 13-7 overall, with a final region match remaining against 7th-ranked Blythewood at Ridge View on Thursday.

Ridge View (13-7, 5-4) vs South Pointe (5-8, 2-7) 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-20)

Megan Woodall 31 Assists, 3 Kills, 8 Digs, 1 Ace. Diara Lewis 13 Kills, 9 Digs, 1 Ace. Keyaira Stevenson 14 Kills, 9 Digs, 1 Ace, 3 Assists, 1 Block assist. Hannah Cox 7 Kills, 4 Digs, 1 Ace, 1 Assist, 2 Block assists. Raven Ashe 4 Aces, 10 Digs. Ronnisha Willis 1 Kill, 3 Digs, 3 Aces, 1 Block solo, 2 Block assists. Desiree Likely 1 Block assist.

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