By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
The Fluco volleyball team turned in an outstanding performance on Sept. 10, beating Fishersville’s Wilson Memorial Green Hornets in three games. Wilson had previously beaten Fluvanna 3-2, but on this night the Flucos were dominant.
In the first game, the Flucos jumped to a 12-6 lead behind the strong net play of juniors Molly McCall and Elizabeth Garrett. However, the Green Hornets responded with a run of eight points to take the lead. Behind the devastating kill shots of McCall, the Flucos came back to take control and outscored Wilson by 13-7 for a 25-21 win.
The second game started with Garrett serving two aces. The Green Hornets responded, gaining their only lead of the game at 5-4. The Flucos scored four straight points, including a service ace by senior Jillian Davis. The Flucos continued to increase their lead as sophomore Alyssa Lewis served two aces. Another ace by Davis took the Flucos to a lead of 19-12. A seven point lead is not easy to overcome, and Wilson was not able to come back. A kill shot by junior Mariah Quinn made score 24-14. The Flucos won the final point for an easy 25-14 win.
The third game of the match was a back and forth contest with ties at 9-9, 10-10 and 11-11. An ace by Davis gave the Flucos a 16-13 lead and a kill shot by McCall and an ace by senior Olivia Martin made it 18-15. McCall served an ace to up the Fluco lead to four at 20-16. The game ended on a kill shot by McCall, with the same score as the first game 25-21.
McCall, who reportedly has signed to play Division 1 volleyball, recorded a very impressive 17 kill shots in this three-game match. Seventeen kill shots would be an achievement in a five-game match. Garrett led the team in assists with 15 and Martin pitched in with ten assists. Davis consistently leads the team in digs and did so again with 23.
After the match, Coach Christi Harlowe-Garrett commented on the hard work of Garrett and junior starter Kaiya Wrigley. The Flucos upped their record to 6-2, a 75 winning percentage.
Volleyball teams generally play twice a week, The Flucos traveled to Mills-Godwin on Sept.12 and to Charlottesville on Sept. 17. They will be back home on Sept. 19, hosting Albemarle High. On Sept. 24 they travel to Western Albemarle and on Sept. 26, they host Orange County.
