Moorefield Middle School mastered the fundamentals and came together as a team to secure the Potomac Valley League 8th grade Volleyball Championship defeating Pendleton County Middle School by straight sets 25-12 and 25-16 in Baker last Thursday.
“All season our goal was to build team unity and strength and overall self-confidence. Honestly, winning out just added to that. Our girls built a bond that was unbreakable,” Moorefield Middle coach Chessie Vetter commented.
“That was the most meaningful thing to us as coaches. We came in to a group of girls who were so beaten down and it was a good season. They were determined and it showed tonight. All we have wanted was for them to be a team. This win is an icing on the cake. They deserve it. The keys were working together and covering the court, not letting anything by them and being aggressive. When they come down on themselves, we tell them we believe in you. If we didn’t believe in you, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
As the top seed in the tournament, the Lady Yellow Jackets had a bye in the first round before having to face fourth-seed East Hardy Early Middle School which turned into a three set test in the semifinals 19-25, 25-17 and 25-21.
The Lady Cougars knocked off the PVL defending champion and fifth-seed Romney Middle in the first round 25-12 and 25-22.
Second-seed Pendleton County defeated third-seed Petersburg in the semifinals, while the Lady Vikings beat sixth-seed Capon Bridge in the tournament opener.
In the PVL Championship match, Moorefield Middle started with a 4-0 lead against the Lady Wildcats which included a service point by Amber Williams, a spike by Marissa Ward and an attack by Teia Ray which was returned out.
Pendleton County’s Lilly Barbour launched an attack that was ricocheted back into the net.
Ray’s attack was saved by Ana Tharpe, but was too low to clear the net.
Moorefield Middle’s McKenna Crites had a serve returned into the net, then delivered an ace to go up 7-1.
After an error serving, Ward made two kills and Ray delivered an ace during a nine straight points earned by the Lady Yellow Jackets for a 16-2 advantage.
Moorefield Middle’s Kaleigh Hunt made several kills during that stretch and Sterling Kump tapped the ball over with a dig by Lady Wildcats’ Allie Cooper landing in the net.
Tharpe earned a point and Pendleton County received some points on errors during the set.
Hannah Rexrode and Lizzie Alt recorded an ace each plus Barbour made a kill for the Lady Wildcats during a stretch to make it 22-11.
During a serve by Williams, Crites spiked the ball for the first set victory 25-12.
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Starting the second set, Moorefield Middle jumped out to a 3-nil lead before the Lady Wildcats rallied for a 9-4 advantage.
The initial serve by Williams was met with a dig save by Cooper redirected into the net, then the ensuing serve was carried by Pendleton County before an ace was delivered for the Lady Yellow Jackets.
Barbour sandwiched a couple points off attacks around four aces by Tharpe to build a 5-3 edge for the Lady Wildcats.
An attack by Barbour was returned into the net and a serve from Tharpe was not sent back.
Moorefield Middle’s Crites made a kill, then served into the net.
A serve by Pendleton County’s Sierra Thompson found the net, then the Lady Yellow Jackets answered with a kill by Ward and an ace from Ray.
Hunt made a dig save, then blocked a volley for a point moments later showing hustle on the court, 9-7.
Ward served an ace and collected two service points on errors as Moorefield Middle took an 11-10 edge.
The next volley by the Lady Yellow Jackets sailed out, then Hunt created a point and Kump’s serve couldn’t be returned.
Later in the set, Moorefield Middle’s Amber Williams recorded three consecutive aces to build a 19-13 advantage.
Crites notched a kill and served an ace for a 22-15 lead.
Ward had an attack returned out of bounds after a net error on a serve.
Hunt landed a spike and the match ended on an ace from Ray to give Moorefield Middle the Potomac Valley League Championship after the 25-16 second set win.
In the second set of the first round, EHEMS rallied from nine points down behind a pair of aces from Emma Heishman and four straight aces by Emily Dyer to build the momentum for the 25-22 win finished on a serve by Leah Kessler back into the net by Romney Middle.
The Lady Cougars faced Moorefield Middle in the semifinals and carried that momentum to garner the victory in the first set 25-19, but the Lady Yellow Jackets persevered 25-17 in the second set and 25-21 in the third set to earn a spot in the championship match.
Moorefield Middle built a 4-0 lead in the first set against the Lady Cougars, then EHEMS rallied for an 8-4 edge.
The first point for the Lady Yellow Jackets came on a service error by EHEMS’s Autumn Crites, then Moorefield Middle’s Amber Williams served and it was returned by EHEMS’s Taylor Strawderman before Ray tapped it back over for a point.
Williams served an ace, then Strawderman made a dig and Ray blocked a volley by Lady Cougars’ Emma Heishman.
EHEMS’s Emily Dyer made a kill, then Baggie Miller served and ace and Dyer created another point.
Heishman made a save on an attack by Ward and the ball went over the net and ricochet back to then net.
Miller serve four consecutive aces and Dyer garnered a kill for the 8-4 score.
Moorefield Middle’s McKenna Crites created a handful of points to close the gap 9-7, then the Lady Cougars went on the attack taking a 19-11 advantage.
Miller created a couple points on attacks, then Williams blocked a volley.
Ward made three digs in a row off attacks from Strawderman and Miller, then McKenna Crites punched the ball over for a point (dink).
The ensuing serve landed in the net, then Autumn Crites notched a service point for EHEMS and Miller spiked the ball.
Crites served up two aces for the 19-11 lead.
McKenna Crites tapped the ball over for a point, then Heishman blocked a volley for the Lady Cougars.
Moorefield Middle’s Ray served a pair of aces around a kill by Hunt, before a service violation for taking too long to serve which put the score at 24-17.
Kump tapped the ball over and the Lady Cougars returned it into the net, then Ward served up a point.
The final point was sent out of bounds by Hunt to give EHEMS a 25-19 win in the first set.
In the second set, the Lady Yellow Jackets went up 5-0 during Williams serves as Ward and Crites recorded points off attacks, then EHEMS hit the net twice and Ray pushed the ball through a block.
EHEMS notched a point by Autumn Crites on a kill, then her serve hit the net.
The Lady Yellow Jackets’ McKenna Crites served into the net, then Miller delivered an ace for the Lady Cougars, 6-3.
The next serve went out and Moorefield Middle responded with an ace by Ray.
Moorefield Middle was up 11-4 after a kill by Williams, then the Lady Yellow Jackets had an attack go awry.
EHEMS’s Emily Dyer served two aces to make it 11-7.
After some service errors on both sides, Hunt made an ace before finding the net.
Williams had an attack returned into the net, then served up two aces and an attack by Miller landed out of bounds for an 18-9 score.
Later in the set, EHEMS’s Taylor Strawderman blocked a volley by Hunt and Autumn Crites notched a kill for a 23-16 score.
There were errors on both sides, then the second set finished on a kill by Hunt that gave Moorefield Middle the 25-17 win.
Moorefield Middle was up again early in the third set 5-nil as Kump, Ray and Ward created points on attacks and a couple errors aided the score during the serve of Williams.
EHEMS’s Leah Kessler recorded a point on an attack.
Ward made an attack which was met with a dig by Dyer, but Ward kept focused at the net creating a kill.
The Lady Yellow Jackets served out of bounds, then Heishman served and Ray returned the ball with Kessler making a dig and Strawderman recording a spike.
Heishman served an ace, then an attack by Strawderman ricocheted out.
The Lady Cougars tied the set 7-all on a point from Autumn Crites.
Moorefield Middle went on a run creating a 14-7 advantage as Ward made a couple attacks turn into points and delivered three aces.
After a serve went out of bounds, Kessler landed three aces for EHEMS and Strawderman made a kill to close the gap 14-12.
Hunt blocked a volley by Strawderman, then an attack by Strawderman was returned into the net.
EHEMS tied the set at 18-all off a spike by Strawderman, then Moorefield Middle took the lead for good on a kill from Ward.
Ray served two aces and created another service point, plus Kump garnered a point off a push attack, 23-18.
The Lady Yellow Jackets had a service error, then Dyer made an ace for EHEMS before a service error.
A kill by Ray gave Moorefield Middle the 25-21 victory in the third set to punch a ticket to the PVL Championship.
“We have struggled all season, but it was good to see the effort today in the tournament,” EHEMS coach Carrie Vance noted.
The Hardy County match showed a tremendous amount of determination and heart played by both squads.
The Lady Yellow Jackets bonded together with focus and commitment to obtain the goal of the championship over Pendleton County.
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