Giants sent home early

DALEVILLE – Waynesboro’s volleyball team took the court Tuesday night against the Blue Ridge District champion Lord Botetourt in the Region III quarterfinals.

The Little Giants were not able to tune into the same rhythm they found Monday night against Jefferson Forest and were swept 25-16, 25-8 and 25-13.

Waynesboro has won tough matches before, including Monday’s match at Jefferson Forest during the first round of the Region III tournament.

“They have nothing to hang their heads about,” Giants coach Lori Aleshire said. “We met one of our goals this year and that was to make it to regions.”

The Giants scored early on a Rachel Binda kill, but the Cavaliers were quick to respond, compiling a six-point scoring run. The Giants had moments of miscommunication that allowed the ball to drop during the Game 1 loss. The Cavaliers thumped the Giants 19-4 in Game 2, leaving the the players out of sync on the court.

The Giants only added another four points in the game before the Cavaliers sealed the last point on an out-of-bounds call.

The Cavaliers muscled the Giants with a fast-paced offense. Mackenzie Tyree scored 28 points for the Cavaliers. In Game 3, Tyree had six aces and 13 points. Cavaliers coach Nikki Johnson said her team had never seen such hard hitters.

“They have some heavy, heavy hitters over there,” Johnson said. “We haven’t seen a lot of that, in all honesty.”

On the verge of being swept, the Giants fell behind 13-6 in Game 3. They closed the gap and came within three points, but the Cavaliers put up five more for the 21-13 lead.

The Cavaliers closed the deal with fierce attacking.

The Little Giants made their own magic this season, earning a shot at the Region III tournament and tying for first-place in the Southern Valley District.

The Little Giants’ Taylor DeWitt had eight digs, five assists and four points. Rachel Binda had seven kills on the night.

Aleshire will see most of her players return next season.

“We have 10 players coming back next year,” Aleshire said. “We only lost two and I’m looking forward to next year.”