Charles City holds lead, but can’t overcome King William

Charles City's Sydney Richard (5) punches the ball over the outstretched hands of King William's Delaney McKinney and Caleigh Agee for a score as teammate Keanna Motley observes.

Andre' Jones photo

Charles City Lady Panthers accomplished a first in a home volleyball match by holding the lead twice during an Oct. 1 contest against the invading King William Lady Cavaliers. Unfortunately for the hosts, a lack of communication factored into a three-set sweep in the Tidewater District contest.

Powered by long scoring streaks in the first two sets, King William topped Charles City 25-12, 25-7, 25-20 in the Thursday evening match-up.

Charles City took its first lead of the game from the onset after an errant serve by the Lady Cavaliers. But King William would quickly reclaim the lead, jumping out to a 7-3 lead. The hosts battled valiantly, keeping their deficit in half for most of the set at scores of 12-6, 14-7, and 16-8 before the visitors would outdistance themselves to win the first frame.

Stanza two saw both teams exchange scores, knotting the game at four apiece. But behind the serving of Devin Jenkins and Nicole Townsend, the visitors orchestrated a 15-1 run before Charles City’s Ashley McDermott would score to give King William a 19-6 lead. The Lady Cavaliers finished off the set on a 6-1 spree to claim it.

The hosts begin to communicate more, making the third set competitive. After falling 5-0 early, Charles City rallied enough to cut the margin to a mere point (9-8). After the Lady Cavaliers threatened to pull away midway through the frame, Charles City countered, with Jasmine Dabney’s tip keeping the hosts within three (15-12). The Lady Panthers, however, failed to get any closer than that slim margin as the guests managed to close the set and complete the sweep with the 25-20 win in the final frame.

After the game, Lady Panther head coach James Raj talked about how the lack of communication on the floor was vital in the performance.

“At practice we are always encouraging each other and cheer up when they are winning but we need to do the same thing when we are struggling as well,” the head coach commented. “Sometimes I think we are just to tense and we’re not trusting each other.

“Tonight, I like the effort we made because we had players chasing the ball and returning spikes,” Raj continued. “However, some of the players didn’t play to my expectations tonight and that is something that has to be corrected.”

Charles City drops to 1-6 on the year.