Leesburg, Va. — Coming off a weekend high after capturing the title at the Heritage volleyball tournament on September 7, the Riverside High School volleyball team continued their winning ways on September 9, posting a 3-0 victory over Loudoun County in their home opener in Leesburg.
“In practice, we try to run a lot of scenarios so that the setter knows what to do and how to utilize the hitters and knows who’s good at what sets,” Riverside head coach Reggie Cruz said.
With so many offensive weapons at her disposal, Riverside junior setter Sydney Ray had options as she led the team and the match with 32 assists. After running a 6-2 offense last year and sharing time at the setter position, Ray is now the primary play-maker for the Rams, running a 5-1 offense and remaining on the court for all six rotations.
“I trust my setter,” Cruz continued. “We give her the green light on a lot of things, so she makes the decisions.”
Ray connected with senior outside hitter Simone Schaefer (9 kills, 5 digs, 1 ace), junior right side hitter Nadiya Johnson (11 kills, 4 digs), and sophomore outside hitter Kennedy Peyton (7 kills, 5 digs) early to establish a quick lead in the first set. The Rams never let up, as they also used three loud blocks from senior middle hitter Brianna Holladay (4 kills, 6 blocks, 5 digs) to cruise to an easy 25-15 win in the first.
“I love playing defense,” Holladay said. “I think my teammates rely on me a lot for consistency, and depending on how my game goes, I think it influences how everyone else’s game goes.”
Holladay and junior middle hitter Gabbie Vizek (2 kills, 7 digs, 3 blocks, 2 aces) were steady at the middle, providing a solid wall as the first line of defense for the Rams and out-blocking the Captains 10-2. In addition to the defense at the net, Riverside sophomore libero Camryn Coulther (15 digs) anchored the team, extending rallies that provided momentum in the second set.
“Our libero is young; she’s only a sophomore,” Cruz said. “Our libero from last year (All-LoCo Player of the Year Natalie Carlin) left big shoes to fill, and [Coulther] has stepped into them smoothly.”
After jumping out to a 12-3 lead behind kills from Schaefer and Johnson and back-to-back aces from Vizek, Riverside looked poised to take the second set in the same fashion they won the first. However, a few consecutive Ram hitting errors brought Loudoun County to within 4 mid-way through the set. But Riverside used crafted plays and a few runs—including a 5-0 run featuring 2 more Holladay blocks to end the set—to capture the victory, 25-16.
“From my first year on varsity, the goal was to get to know each other,” Holladay said. “But now, we’ve already been together for a while, so we can get right into it because we already know the basics. It’s less of the fundamentals and more of running actual plays.”
With their backs against the wall and the match on the line, the Captains stepped up their game in the third set, as senior outside hitter Ana Smithson (9 kills, 5 digs, 3 aces) took charge early with a pair of kills and a pair of aces to set the tone. A battle ensued through most of the set, as both teams traded points and runs en route to twelve ties and five lead changes. Strong defense on either side of the net led to extended rallies and hard-fought points that had the game tied at 18-18.
“Our outside hitters have been working diligently on learning how to play defense and passing better on serve receive,” Cruz said. “They put all the work in during the summer so that when they came here they were ready to play together.”
After two consecutive Riverside points forced a Loudoun County timeout at 20-18, the Captains responded with a side-out to narrow the gap. However, the Rams were too strong down the stretch, as they closed the third set on a 5-2 run—featuring heavy kills from each of the hitters on the court—to win the match, 25-21.
“The team said to us [coaches]from the beginning of the season, ‘We want this. We want a banner for a state championship this year. We’ve gotten everything else. We want that big banner right over there,’” Cruz said. “Every practice they point up there and they let us know this is what they want. They are locked in, so we have to keep them hungry.”
With another win under its belt, Riverside improves to 6-0, with high hopes for success in the post-season ahead of district play, which will start next week. But first, the Rams will have to get through their next couple opponents, as they host Freedom on September 11 and travel to Rock Ridge on September 12. The Captains—who started the season strong with two wins—will look to rebound immediately when they host Stone Bridge on September 10 and travel to Tuscarora on September 12. And with plenty of games still left in the season to establish themselves, their hopes of another district championship remain alive.