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Louis Gibson

Before the start of the game the team meets and receives a pep talk from assistant coach Alexa Weeks.

Tuesday Sep. 27, the Harrisonburg Blue Streaks JV volleyball team took on the Albemarle Patriots. Most of the match was a closely fought battle, though in the end, the Streaks fell 25-18, 25-20.

Early in the first set, the score bounced back and forth frequently. The Streaks took their first lead when they went up 3-2, but could not capitalize. Nobody looked to be in control early on, however slowly but surely Albemarle started to pull away. The Patriots took the lead at 14-11 and did not look back. They eventually stretched their lead to six before the Blue Streaks started to climb back into the set, rallying for four unanswered points with the help of clutch serving by sophomore Thaneisha Cedeno. When it looked like the Streaks could complete the comeback, Albemarle put the Streaks away 25-18. Consistency was an issue for the Streaks in the first set. They could never really get into a rhythm. They rode the home energy wave early on, but it was evident that they started to fade as the game progressed.

In the second set the Streaks hoped to get a prompt lead but failed to do so. They fell into a hole early on and eventually found themselves falling behind. Unforced errors and miscommunication proved to be an issue all game long. Albemarle continued to build their lead to 22-11. Just when it looked like Albemarle was going to get the victory, the Streaks started to fight back. Freshman Marlene Padrone returned to the end line for the Streaks and carried them to a 7-0 run to cut the lead to only four. The rallies all consisted of fast points, often resulting in errors by Albemarle. Even though Padrone only had one ace during the run, her serves put Albemarle in difficult positions allowing the Streaks to capitalize. Albemarle could not seem to be able to close out the Streaks. The run could not last forever though and more costly errors shut the door on a Streaks comeback. Albemarle ended the game by winning the second set 25-20.

The Streaks finished the game with nine aces and six service errors. They also had six hitting errors and only four kills. Freshman Liliana Gingerich had the only assist of the game for the Streaks and Padrone and Cedeno led the way with three aces apiece. Cedeno also had four digs and a kill. Sophomore Grace Bush chipped in with five digs of her own.

The Streaks will play again at home Sep. 29 as they host the Rockbridge Wildcats.