Lady Trojans outlast Poquoson in marathon volleyball match

Lady Trojan Paige Simpson launches a pass in front of teammate Zoe Smith (5) during the marathon fourth set with Poquoson.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Dominant performances in the second and third sets had New Kent’s Lady Trojans poised to chalk up another volleyball win at the expense of Poquoson’s visiting Islanders. The hosts held a 2-1 lead in Thursday’s best-of-five affair and appeared in firm control.

But determined to force a decisive fifth set, the Islanders took the Lady Trojans to the limit and beyond in a nail biting fourth set. On three occasions, Poquoson needed just a single point to extend the match, but each time the hosts battled back before a crucial block and consecutive Islanders errors decided the outcome.

“I wasn’t feeling too confident,” Lady Trojan coach Cyndi Burnett said, recalling her agony while watching the fourth set. “My stomach was in my throat.”

During breaks between sets and times out, she urged her team to concentrate on neutralizing Poquoson hitter/blocker Toni-Anne Whitlow, who posted a match-high 23 kills.

“I told them we’ve got to set outside and keep the ball away from 5 [Whitlow],” Burnett said. “We didn’t want to go five games with them, especially with 5 on the front line.”

Whitlow proved troublesome during the match’s opening set, a 25-21 Poquoson win, but became less of a factor in sets two and three. Lady Trojan Paige Simpson served three straight aces to start set two. Then serves from Millie Rudolph and spike kills from Madison Beasley, who blasted 16 for the night, built a 14-3 advantage from which the Islanders never recovered.

Set three proved more competitive before the hosts broke a 13-13 deadlock with an 8-0 run sparked by Kaitlyn Claytor’s serve. New Kent went on to win 25-14.

Frequent lead changes highlighted set four, but when two Emiley Angle aces handed New Kent a 22-20 lead, the end seemed within grasp. Poquoson, however, benefited from New Kent miscues to score the next four points and stand a point away from a fifth set.

Beasley bailed out her team with a soft shot over Islander blockers to knot the score at 24-all, but Whitlow duplicated Beasley’s effort to shift the advantage back to the visitors. An errant Islander serve, though, evened the score at 25-25.

Jada Evans’ save on a bad pass set up Sydney Griffith for a kill to put New Kent back on top. But on the next series, an Angle pass fell to the floor due to miscommunication, forging a 26-26 tie.

The Islanders then put the hosts back into position to win, thanks to spiking the ball into the net. Seconds later, Griffith unleashed a shot for the win, but the ball sailed just out of bounds, giving side out to the visitors. New Kent’s Zoe Smith then misfired on a spike attempt and Poquoson owned a 28-27 lead.

The Islanders set up Whitlow for the win, but Griffith blocked the shot for side out to New Kent. A spike sailing out of bounds followed by Whitlow tapping a shot just over the sideline halted the marathon. New Kent, now 3-2, gained a 30-28 win.

“Our serving, even though it wasn’t always aces, gave [Poquoson] trouble and they couldn’t pass,” Burnett said. “We came through when we had to.”

Beasley had eight digs, three blocks and two aces to go along with her kill total while Griffith contributed 11 kills, nine digs, three blocks, and two aces. Smith registered six kills and two blocks. Rudolph managed five kills, six aces, and six digs. Claytor also had five kills along with three aces and two blocks.

Simpson led the winners in assists with 21, digs with 13, and tied Rudolph for team-high honors in aces with six. Angle dished out 10 assists while also garnering 11 digs and three aces.