Volleyball: A Look at the Raiders Dramatic State Title

 
On the Sidelines with Dan Sousa

By Dan Sousa
LoudounPrepSports.com Senior Content Editor

(Nov. 18, 2008) - The Virginia High School League record book will forever show the Loudoun County High School girls volleyball team with a 3-0 sweep over Hidden Valley Saturday at VCU's Siegel Center to wrap up a second consecutive AA state title.

3-0! Hardly.

Years from now that 3-0 will falsely look like a blowout ... a roll towards another crown for the new "Queens of AA volleyball" but if you were at VCU Saturday and watched the gut-wrenching, show-stopping play of both teams ... well, then, you will know just how close of a match it really was.

How about 31-29, 25-21, 29-27 ... now that surely tells the story?!?

Ha! Closer, but I've covered 29-27 sets before where one team is never ahead of the other ... usually 29-27 indicates a see-saw (we used to call them teeter-totters) affair. But the Raiders, playing without head coach Jenica Matthias who had to be helped from the bench early in the second set after suffer the affects of weeks of illness and a possible asthma attack, were all but assured of having to go four sets after falling into an insurmountable hole at 16-24 in the third set.

Insurmountable. You heard me. In rally scoring no team comes back from eight down at set point, in August, in a scrimmage, let alone in a state title match!

Sure, that is what I told the reporter from the Roanoke area next to me at press table. Come on, I'm from California, land of beach volleyball and super spikes. I went to the University of Pacific, a women's volleyball powerhouse, and spent four years following the Lady Tigers up and down the state, from UCLA to Stanford, watching some incredible volleyball.

Now in those days, it was sideout scoring, so you had to have the ball to score and coming back from 24-16 was possible. Your servers could fire off some serves long and into the net and you are still in the contest. But in rally scoring, the receiving team can score and if you receive and pass well, set it nicely and then kill it ... game over. Only on Saturday, the Raiders, in a third straight trip to the finals, weren't buying an conventional wisdom.

They had already come down from two set points in the first set (at 24-23 and 29-28) to win it 31-29 and now they were about to erase eight straight set points. First LC, had to get the serve back and Shaylin O'Connell, who has been around for all three state finals in this great run, put up a block at the net to accomplish that.

Now trailing, 24-17, junior transfer from Nebraska Robin Marsala, went back to serve. She has a tough serve, that when on, can give opponents fits. But with the reward of a tough serve comes the risk of a service error and that would mean a fourth set.

Hidden Valley sent an attack wide. 24-18. A good Marsala serve resulted in a poor pass that strayed too close to the net and O'Connell, like a junkyard dog going after a tresspasser, smashed it down. 24-19.

At this point, I'm seriously thinking ... darn, too little, too late. A nice run but you can't erase that many set points. Can you?

O'Connell blasted a kill. 24-20. And you could start to sense that the Hidden Valley players were starting to wonder. What is happening here? A Marsala ace added to the Titans worries. 24-21. Another Marsala jump serve results in a second pass to the Titans front row and Hidden Valley, which had luck most of the match with good free ball placement, went to knock the ball over ... only O'Connell, looking more 6-foot-5 at this point that 6-1, was towering over the net and easily directed the ball to the floor. 24-22. 

Now with senior leadership along the net of Katie Gloe, O'Connell and Rochelle Latka, the hot serving Marsala and defensive work of sophomore libero Kathleen Horvath and junior Juliane Hanna the Raiders were pulling out another point and Hidden Valley, pressing now, sent a free ball long ... it was tied at 24-24.

As my third grader woud say ... OMG

But an incredible comeback for the sweep wouldn't do. LC needed to keep this white-knuckler going so a Raider net violation sent the serve back to Hidden Valley with a 25-24 lead. The Titans picked up Gloe's attack and ran their offense with a chance for victory but LC, passing as well as any Raider team has passed the past three years, sent the ball to the net, where Marsala laid a jump-set to the middle of the net and O'Connell angled it inside the right line for a 25-25 score.

Gloe went back to serve and Hidden Valley earned yet another set point with Sarah Church a little quick for the block and her attack when off the LC front line and into the net for a 26-25 Titan lead.

Could the Raiders defense continue to pick up Hidden Valley's serve under pressure? Juniors Hannah Arnold and Emily Vandegrift, now in the back row with Horvath, looked confident. Latka, edged back for a short serve, and she was joined in the front with Hanna and Marsala.

Horvath came up to field the serve and had to set it to Marsala in the middle, who sent a set across the net. Vandegrift came up from the back to give the defense something to think about but the set went by her and Hanna on the outside, time it perfectly and sent a kill crosscourt to the far right corner. It was now tied 27-27 and sophomore Rachel Arigo and senior Kerry Sarver jumped off the bench to take the court for the final two crucial points.

Sarver is a real throwback, a three-sport star in the Age of Specialization. She helped the Loudoun County girls basketball team to the Dulles District regular-season and tournament titles last winter after helping the Raiders win the AA state title in volleyball. In the spring? She teamed with Megan Hurley to win the Dulles District doubles title in tennis. There were times early in the season when you could see Sarver adjusting to the next sport and there was also an adjustment as Marsala was worked into the setting mix. As the season moved into postseason play, there was Sarver stepping up her play and she seemed to just get better every time she stepped on the court.

Arigo was a surprise for the state tournament after breaking her pinkie finger in practice prior to the Dulles District semifinals. A sophomore that plays with a lot of maturity, the Raiders missed her blocking up front and her strong service after she had to sit. For the state tournament she was back on the floor and it gave LC more depth that they would need.

So with Hanna, Arigo and Vandegrift up front and Arnold and Horvath in the back, Sarver served and Hidden Valley ran an attack on the outside near the scorer's table. Hanna and Arigo put up the double block to send the ball back to Hidden Valley. The Titans sent a free ball attack from the backrow over and it was picked up nicely by LC and Sarver set Hanna on the outside but her attack was picked up. The rally was on.

Hidden Valley worked the outside near the stands where the Raider fans where and Arigo slid over to put up a double block with Vandegrift. The attack was high enough to avoid the block but Arnold dug the ball and Sarver had to run towards the service line to get the ball. She then sent a twisting set to the far side of the court and it couldn't have been placed any better for Hanna if Sarver had called timeout and used a stepladder to locate the ball. Hanna sent the ball off the top of the net and off the block out of  bounds for a 28-27 lead.

Sarver then almost finished off the sweep with a ace but Hidden Valley was able to dig the ball only to have the attack go long and the Raider players hugged each other in the cent of the court while the Hidden Valley players looked on stunned.

Matthias, who for weeks has been suffering the affects of a cold, so much so that she hasn't even had much energy after some playoff wins to field questions, was feeling better and was able to participate in the awards ceremony.

I think this was a case where a coach poured every last ounce of her being into this volleyball season. In 2006 it was a surprise group of mostly underclassmen who went all the way to the state title game before losing to Cave Spring and in 2007 it was a team that was head and shoulders above the rest of the AA field doing what comes hard sometimes in sports, winning it all when everybody thinks you should win it all. In 2008, it was a group of veterans -- O'Connell, Sarver, Hanna and Martin -- all were making their third trip to Richmond, and players that had been in the Raider system -- Gloe and Latka were more role players in 2007 who stepped into primetime roles in 2007 and came through big in the playoffs, and the rest of the players were on the junior varsity, freshman team or even in middle school the first time LC made the trip down I-95 for the Final Four.

As the Raiders celebrated ... I couldn't help but think that this victory belonged to not only Juliane Hanna but to her sister Marguerite who was on the 2007 team and not only to Horvath, who last year as a freshman made the trip to Richmond with the Radier Riot fan section, but to Rebecca Dancy, the libero from 2007, and to Michelle Puckli, the libero from 2006. From Armanda Arbogast to Morgan Petkovich to O'Connell. From Paige Knudsen to Sara Reilly to Arigo. All those players that waited their turn such as Gloe and Vandegrift and Latka. To those whose turn has yet to come such as Sammy Dormio and Jenna Strange and Paige Sigmon.

This was a state title for a program that has builit itself into a state title contender each and every year. So lets celebrate the rosters from the 3-year run:

2006: Michelle Puckli (SR), Libby Messina (JR), Marguerite Hanna (JR), Rebecca Dancy (JR), Kerry Sarver (SO), Krisit Cook (JR), Paige Knudsen (SR), Shaylin O'Connell (SO), Amanda Arbogast (SR), Morgan Petkovich (JR), Katie Martin (SO), Juliane Hanna (FR), Sara Reilly (JR). 13 players (1 FR, 3 SO, 6 JR, 3 SR)

2007: Sara Muse (JR), Messina (SR), M. Hanna (SR), Dancy (SR), Sarver (JR), Cook (SR), Rochelle Latka (JR), O'Connell (JR), Ali Richards (SR), Petkovich (SR), Katie Gloe (JR), Martin (JR), J. Hanna (SO), Reilly (SR). 14 players (0 FR, 1 SO, 6 JR, 7 SR).

2008: Jenna Strange (FR), Paige Sigmon (JR), Emily Vandegrift (JR), Hannah Arnold (JR), Sarver (SR), Kathleen Horvath (SO), Latka (SR), O'Connell (SR), Sammy Dormio (SO), Rachel Arigo (SO), Gloe (SR), Martin (SR), J.Hanna (JR), Robin Marsala (JR). 14 players (1 FR, 3 SO, 5 JR, 5 SR).

And while I want to give the Raiders a chance to enjoy their second straight state title ... they have the talent returning for a three-peat. Horvath and Arnold will only get better in the back and Marsala will have another year to learn the likes of the hitters she sets for. Arigo returns to the middle and Vandegrift and can play the middle or the outside. Dormio appears to be the next Latka. A player that may not stand 6-foot, but can jump like a 6-footer. And Hanna should make a strong bid to be the best player in the district and region.

Of course, who knows what Raiders will step up from positions deep on the bench or rise from JV to take on a starting role. And there is always the chance of another late transfer. Between Heritage, the only program to beat LC since 2006, and Loudoun County, there is some incredible volleyball being played in Leesburg and if I was house hunting from out of town with a would-be collegiate volleyball player, I would be looking at something with a Leesburg zip code.

Heritage returns all but one starter ... and Potomac Falls returns the district co-player of the year in Tori Janowski ... OK, I need to give it a rest ... we have at least nine months until the 2009 seasons starts. But I can't wait, I'm sure there will be many more OMG moments.


LC AA State Title Game Stats
Juliane Hanna (16 kills, 7 digs, 3 points, 2 aces) Shaylin O'Connell (13 kills, 7 blocks) Katie Gloe (7 kills, 10 points, 5 digs) Rochelle Latka (4 kills, 1 block) Rachel Arigo (3 kills, 2 blocks) Emily Vandegrift (2 kills, 3 blocks, 2 digs) Robin Marsala (26 assists, 11 points, 3 aces, 3 digs) Kerry Sarver (14 assists, 5 points) Kathleen Horvath (20 digs, 3 points) Hannah Arnold (9 digs, 7 points)