The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

November 15, 2008

Nothing goes right for Mavs in AA final

By Dan Stillwell

CHARLESTON — Although James Monroe was making its first-ever appearance in the state high school volleyball tournament, the Mavericks showed no fear in Friday’s quarterfinals and semifinals.

But Saturday, the enormity of it all finally caught up with the Mavericks.

“It just wasn’t our day,” coach Deronda McDaniel said after her team fell 25-15, 25-17, 25-10 to Oak Glen in the Class AA championship game. “We didn’t play to our potential.”

The Mavericks fell behind by six or seven points in nearly every game Friday against Wayne and Frankfort, but roared back to win handily.

But against Oak Glen, they couldn’t get their defense set or the offense going.

“It was overwhelming,” senior middle hitter Devan Amos said. “We were all so nervous, it was crazy.”

On offense, the Bears’ powerful front line of middle hitter Rainelle Dunleavy, outside hitters Kaitlyn Hawkins and Mariah Ludovici and reserve Maranda Woodruff found ways around Amos and her teammates.

“(Dunleavy) was real good and hard to read,” Amos said. “She’d look like she was going left and she’d hit it right. She was tough to block.”

Defensively, they also had the Mavericks figured out. Even Amos’ trademark dinks failed to find the floor.

“They knew where my dinks were,” Amos said. “Usually behind the middle (blocker) there’s a big hole, but (Oak Glen’s) libero was up.”

Nothing clicked. The Mavericks’ passing, another strong component in their wins Friday, failed them.

“Our passes weren’t coming up like they have been,” Amos said. “We didn’t bring our game like we did yesterday.”

Oak Glen ran off six consecutive points, concluding with an ace, to end the first game.

Things would get no better in the next two games. The Mavericks never managed to string together more than three points in a row. Few came from serves.

“Oak Glen is a good team, but I didn’t think they could hit as hard as they did,” McDaniel said. “We couldn’t defend the back row.

“And once we got down, we couldn’t pull ourselves back.”

Despite the loss, second place was not a bad consolation prize. And it was a season to remember for the Mavericks.

They’ll lose five seniors — Amos, Kara Terry, Megan Powell, Olivia Utterback and Whitney Skelton.

“I’m so proud of them. We have sophomores and juniors who stepped up and awesome seniors,” McDaniel said. “The girls wanted to prove they could be here.

“I hope to see every one of them back and the five seniors play at the college level.”

Amos, Utterback and Skelton made the all-tournament team along with Oak Glen’s Dunleavy, Woodruff and Taylor Koper, Summers County’s Hanna Gunnoe, Frankfort’s Saydi Whiteman and Sarah Boothe from Philip Barbour.

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