Volleyball: Osbourn Park 3, Osbourn 0

By Paul Frommelt
Prince William County Content Manager
pfrommelt@digitalsports.com

Click on the "Videos" and "Photos" tabs above for video highlights and photos from Osbourn Park's win over Osbourn.

While most students at Osbourn Park High School were enjoying homecoming week – painting banners and planning pep rallies — the Yellow Jackets varsity volleyball team was fighting their way up the Cedar Run District rankings.

Since last Saturday, the Yellow Jackets have played six games and come home with five victories, most recently winning three important contests in less than 29 hours.

After Thursday night’s 3-0 victory over neighborhood rival Osbourn, coming on the heels of back-to-back victories over Woodbridge and Battlefield the night before, the Yellow Jackets were ready for a bit of a break. 

“We’ve certainly played a lot in the last six days,” said Osbourn Park head coach Kate Southcott (full interview). “We knew back in September when we only played one a week for a couple of weeks that when we got to October, it would be kind of hard. Hopefully they did their homework early.”

The Yellow Jackets’ current stretch of games, however, couldn’t have come at a better time. Osbourn Park, who has taken home the Cedar Run District title seven times since 1996 and is the three-time defending champion, has found themselves in a unfamiliar situation – fighting for home-court advantage during the first round of the district tournament.

With their wins over district rivals Battlefield and Osbourn, the Yellow Jackets (14-5) have all but assured themselves the No. 3 seed with one week remaining in the regular season.

“We’ve gotten a lot of experience [this week],” said Southcott. “We have finally settled on a lineup that I think is going to get us where we need to be.”

Against Osbourn, junior Tori Price showed why she is the centerpiece of that lineup, recording 11 kills on 32 attempts with ten digs and seven blocks as the Yellow Jackets rolled to 25-15, 25-17, 25-13 victories in the three games.

“Tori is a very dynamic player. No doubt about it,” said Southcott. “She comes in and wants the ball and when she gets the ball, she does some really good stuff with it.”

Senior Kelsey Hernandez added five kills on 14 attempts with 12 digs and senior Rachel Fening contributed 12 digs in the victory.

“We are trying to keep it going this year,” said Price of the Yellow Jackets’ tradition of success (full interview). “If we play like we’ve been playing, I think we can do it.”

Senior Night: Before the game, Osbourn Park honored their four seniors, who were playing their last regular-season game at home.

“I have been at Osbourn Park for so long that all of my seniors feel like my own kids. It is hard to let them go,” said Southcott of Hernandez, Fening, Katie Adler and Pillar Sanguinetti.

“It makes everyone want to try for them to accomplish something on their special night,” added Price.

All four senior were on the floor for the first point of the night, as well as the last.

“Hopefully they will remember OP volleyball forever,” said Southcott.