Warhill brings an end to New Kent’s home dominance, sweeps Lady Trojans in straight sets
New Kent’s Darian Mason (7) prepares to deliver one of her four kills of the night over the outstretched arms of Warhill’s Kylee Graham (11) and Jillian Perticone (24).Robb Johnson photo
While New Kent’s Lady Trojans volleyball team have been the head of Class 3 while representing the Bay Rivers District, their rival the Warhill Lady Lions have been at the top of Class 4 while also maintaining their rightful position in the Bay Rivers District. And while New Kent swept Warhill in the earlier meeting, it was the Lady Lions who ended New Kent’s unblemished record at home.
The Lady Trojans fell 21-25, 20-25, 21-25 in competitive straight sets in the Oct. 5 matchup up teams at the top of the Bay Rivers District. The loss also ends New Kent’s five-game winning streak at home.
In the opening set, New Kent had problems overcoming the height and stature of Warhill’s Destinee Davenport. Davenport along with teammates Dylan Norris and Julian Perticone established a front line that allowed Warhill to pull out to an early lead. New Kent battled back as Julia Hathaway’s kill along with an additional one from Shelby Savage closed the Lady Lions advantage to one (14-13), but several errors forced the hosts to fall 21-25 in set number one.
The second frame saw the Lady Trojans’ inconsistencies come back to haunt them. With Warhill overwhelming the hosts with kills and blocks, an early advantage by the visitors provided enough room to withstand a late New Kent rally to claim the set.
In the third set, the frustrations mounted for the host. With an area of serving being the focus for the Lady Trojans for the past several matchups, it was evident that work was still needed as they only accumulated six aces on the night. Meanwhile, Warhill used tough hitting, serving, and size at the net to distance themselves from New Kent and sweep the contest.
After the contest, New Kent Lady Trojans head coach Cynthia Burnett talked about the inability to adjust from the earlier matchup between the teams.
“The last time we played and served against them, they could not run their offense,” the head coach said. “Tonight, either our serving was not as tough, or their passing has gotten a lot better.
“In the long run, this will not hurt us,” Burnett said, pointing to the teams being in different divisions for postseason play. “This will only help us work on things, deficiencies, weaknesses, and whatever we need to work on to get ready to move on and get down the road where we want to go.”
New Kent’s record fall to 13-3 on the season.