Shady Spring head volleyball coach Kelly Williams thought her team might not be its sharpest Monday night in the opening round of Class AA Region 3, Section 1 play.
While the defending state champs looked business-like at times, the Tigers were clearly sharp enough to get a 3-0 win over Independence.
“I thought we could have played better, but it is what it is. We got the job done and we moved on,” Williams said. “We came in a little silly and unfocused, but they were just relaxed and having a good time. When it came down to it, they did a great job.”
Entering sectional play, Shady was coming off an emotional road trip to the Eastern Panhandle Saturday. The trip included wins over Martinsburg and Morgantown, as well as a tight 2-1 loss to the Class AAA defending state champions, Musselman.
Leading 9-5 in the opening set against the Patriots, a tip and two aces from junior Meg Williams and two kills senior Peydon Smith sparked a 5-0 burst that put Indy back on its heels. The Tigers closed the match on an 11-2 run to secure the win.
Exploding for a 9-2 lead in set two, Shady appeared to be its dominate self again. Independence refused to go away and fought back to within four on three separate occasions.
However, trailing 18-12, the Tigers slammed the door with a 7-0 run that included a kill and two aces from Smith.
Business-like was not how Shady looked in set three as senior setter Kelsie Dangerfield showed off her versatile skills early in the final set.
Back-to-back blocks from Dangerfield along with an unassisted kill helped Shady build a quick 6-0 lead that included two kills from Williams.
Leading 14-6, junior Chloe Thompson dropped three bombs in a 10-0 run to send Shady into Tuesday’s winner bracket contest against Herbert Hoover.
The Huskies advanced to Tuesday’s clash with a 3-0 win over Liberty.
Shady took the only regular season meeting with Hoover, but Huskies were a handful for the Tigers the first go around.
“I think we just have to remember that you can’t take anything for granted. We have to come out and play 100 percent all the time,” Williams said about Tuesday’s battle. “It’s hard to beat a team that is wanting it maybe a little more than you. We have to want it just as bad. I feel like the girls will come out strong. The performed excellent this weekend, so they will be ready.”
In its first match of the night, precision serving, and the strong play of senior Kyra Davis led Independence past Nicholas County 3-0.
In set one, Davis had four kills, three blocks and an ace, while freshman Alexis Stack had four aces in a 25-15 win. In the three-set match, Davis would record 11 total kills.
“I think (Kyra) is playing like my all-stater,” Independence head coach Kevin Bragg said. “She is a 5-foot-7 middle and had never played middle before this year. She also plays six rotations for us.”
The Patriots totaled 12 aces in set two with Kyra and her sister Jaina Davis serving four apiece in a 25-11 triumph. Indy secured the opening match with a 12-1 run to win set three 25-12.
“We came out a little tight, but we picked it up on the service line and that really helped us. We fed off our serving tonight,” Bragg said.
In the double-elimination format, Nicholas County stayed alive with a 3-0 win over Liberty. Now the Patriots and the Grizzlies will meet again Tuesday. This time however, the loser will be going home for the season.
“We have to get through tomorrow and take it one match at a time. We can’t overlook Nicholas,” Bragg said.
Nicholas County head coach Marie Shaffer is hoping her team will play better the second time around against the Patriots.
“Somedays we have games like tonight. We just have to pass and move our feet better. We seemed to freeze. I told them we have nothing to lose here. It is sectionals, just go play. Hopefully, the nerves will be gone. We can compete with them, but if we don’t pass, we won’t. They have good servers.
Both matches will start Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The winner of Indy and Nicholas will play the loser of Shady and Hoover immediately following the first matches.
In Class AA Region 3, Section 2, PikeView defeated Bluefield and Westside defeated Wyoming East. The Warriors then eliminated the Beavers, while the Panthers bested the Renegades in the winner’s bracket match. All matches were 3-0 decisions.
Wyoming East and Westside will meet again Tuesday with the winner needing to beat PikeView twice for the sectional championship.
Both members of the sectional championship match will advance to Saturday’s regional tournament.
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