Leesburg, Va. — After dropping the first set 25-18 then quickly falling into a 4-0 hole in the second, it looked like it was going to be a long night for the Lightridge High School volleyball team. But the Lightning didn’t let up. They responded with five unanswered points to take a 5-4 lead. Then they expanded that lead to 14-8 then 20-13 before eventually evening out the match at 1-1 with a 25-17 win in the second set.
Lightridge carried that momentum into the third set, winning 27-25, to take a 2-1 lead over Heritage heading into the fourth. The Pride rallied in the fourth to force a fifth set, but the Lightning struck back, jumping out to an early lead in the fifth while never looking back to earn their first win of the season—18-25, 25-17, 27-25, 17-25, 15-8.
“It’s an exciting win, because they went through a lot last year, so we’ve been trying to find our groove,” first-year Lightridge head coach Raven Jordan said. “They’re not quitters; even when their backs are against the wall, they’re going to push through and find a way.”
[adrotate banner=”38″]The Pride were in complete control early as a combination of excellent serving and a strong defensive presence at the net, frustrated Lightridge in the first as Heritage cruised to a 25-18 win.
The Lightning made some adjustments heading into the second and started to tip some balls over the blocks, going on a 14-4 run early in the second before eventually winning the set 25-17 to even out the match.
The next set proved to be the most competitive as the Pride took a timeout, trailing 11-10 midway through the third. Lightridge then used a nice service run to expand its lead to 22-17. But Heritage wasn’t ready to give in just yet as the Pride scored three quick points, forcing a Lightning timeout. Lightridge scored out of the time out, but Heritage answered right back to tie the set up at 23-23.
Lightridge defended set point at 25-24, scoring three straight points to win the third set, 27-25.
“Heritage is a good team,” Jordan said. “They challenged us throughout the match with their defense and being smart with their swings. We just came out on top tonight.”
In the fourth, Heritage took a lead early and never truly hiccuped as they evened the match out at 2-2 with 25-17 win, forcing a fifth set.
While it looked like the Pride had stolen the momentum, the Lightning needed to respond, and as she had all night, junior Kendall Washington answered the call.
“Kendall Washington is a born leader,” Jordan said. “She’s a threat in the front row and she had a lot of big crucial digs tonight. She just found ways to score tonight.”
Dig after dig, swing after swing, and serve after serve, the 6-rotation outside came up big every time Lightridge needed a point in the fifth, allowing the Lightning to create some separation and eventually outlast the Pride, 15-8, to earn their first win—and first Dulles District win—of the season.
“We don’t want to focus on who we have in a couple weeks,” Jordan said. “We want to take it one game at a time and build on the momentum.”