Ariel Attack

STUARTS DRAFT — Ariel Christy didn’t need anyone to tell her what was at stake on Tuesday night.

The Stuarts Draft senior carried the Cougars on her shoulders during Game 5 of a Southern Valley District Tournament semifinal match against Waynesboro. After coming from behind to knot the final game at eight, Christy slammed home a kill that swung the momentum back in Draft’s favor allowing it to earn a spot in the tournament finals with a 15-12 Game 5 win.

“I don’t know where it came from,” Christy said. “It was just that adrenaline pumping.”

The Cougars split the other four games 25-8, 22-25, 25-18, 13-25.

The win will give the Cougars a rematch against Fort Defiance, a team that they lost to twice this season in heartbreak matches. Also, Draft locked up a first-round home game in the Region III tournament that begins next week.

“This year we are hoping to get past the first round,” Christy said. “It seems like that’s a curse for our team.”

“They just have to be intense and play their game,” said Draft coach Kami Meeteer. “They are smarter than they have ever been. They work the ball and have learned more about the game. These girls are very experienced and I think we have a good shot at taking them on.”

Waynesboro’s future is still unknown. The Southern Valley gets three Region III bids with the No. 1 seed going to regular season champion Fort Defiance. Stuarts Draft wrapped up the No. 2 seed on Tuesday. The Little Giants will play Rockbridge on Thursday afternoon at Fort Defiance in the SVD Consolation game. The winner will clinch the No. 3 spot and will travel next week during the Region III Tournament.

Christy overpowered the Little Giants at the net during Game 5, and even capped off her night with an ace to put Draft up 14-10.

“If we come out like we did against Waynesboro tonight, we will beat Fort,” Christy said. “We just came out with our hearts on the table.”

The Little Giants struggled mightily in the first game, allowing the Cougars to convert seven aces. Most of Waynesboro’s Game 1 points came from errors on the other end of the court.

“We could serve-receive to save our lives,” said Waynesboro coach Lori Aleshire. “They came out aggressive and we just couldn’t pass. If you can’t pass, you can’t play the game of volleyball.”

By the second game, Waynesboro had worked off the jitters and began to look like the team that cruised through most of October without losing a match.

“We lost to Fort [last week] and that was an emotional loss and we just have to bounce back,” Aleshire said. “We can’t go back to cruise control.”

Waynesboro trailed early, but knotted the game at 12 when Callie Owens drilled an ace. After a seesaw battle, the Little Giants assumed control after a Draft unforced error gave them a 21-20 lead. Kills from Rachel Binda and Shayla Jackson evened the match as Waynesboro took the win 25-22.

In the third game, Draft continued to dominate, taking a 14-7 lead behind a five-point service run by Callie Updike. The Cougars capped off the game with another four-point run by Jessi Ramsey.

The Little Giants forced Game 5 with a dominating performance. Waynesboro cruised to a 24-13 fourth-game win.

Christy finished the night with 17 kills and 23 digs. Brown led the team behind the line with four aces.

Binda recorded 13 kills for the Little Giants and Toya Diggs scooped up 44 digs.