Giants sweep Broadway

Game 3s have been a sticking point for the Waynesboro volleyball team, but in non-district action against Broadway on Thursday night it didn’t show.

The Little Giants (10-4, 3-2 Southern Valley) used crisp passing, a strong offensive attack and a powerful serve to down the visiting Gobblers 25-9, 25-20, 25-8 to wrap up Homecoming week on the hardwood.

“They did a good job of touching the ball,” said Waynesboro coach Lori Aleshire. “It’s not all about power. We are focusing on getting the ball where they are not.”

Waynesboro did struggle in the second game, giving up 11 unforced errors and allowing Broadway to take its only lead of the match.

“We struggled a little bit, we gave them 11 points, but I thought it was a great match,” Aleshire said. “They came out strong serving, blocking and our passing worked very well tonight.”

In the third game, the Little Giants righted the ship, taking a 12-2 lead before eventually winning 25-8.

Taylor DeWitt had her hand in most of the Little Giants’ points on Thursday, earning 14 service points, seven of which were aces. DeWitt also chipped in with 18 assists, complementing the Little Giants’ power-three at the net.

“I thought we talked very well tonight,” Aleshire said. “We were getting to the ball and were just in the right positions. We’ve been working on that in practice, and I think it showed tonight.”

Rachel Binda and Jolie Dudley led the offensive categories with 10 and 6 kills respectively. Binda also worked the defense with 18 digs. Libero Toya Diggs also finished the night with 18 digs. 

On Monday, the Little Giants will open the second half of their Southern Valley District schedule with a match at Rockbridge. After a three-day break, Waynesboro will hit the road again, this time traveling to the Massanutten District’s No. 1 team Turner Ashby.

“I hate Monday games, but it is a district game and we have to be focused,” Aleshire said.

In the first game against Broadway, Waynesboro took a quick 5-0 lead after a DeWitt ace and a Jolie Dudley kill. Broadway finally got on the board when Marta Troyer slammed home a kill.

After chipping in several errors in the second game, Waynesboro gave the home crowd a dominating performance in the third game.

DeWitt put the score at 6-0, scoring three aces, before the Gobblers were able to break her service run. Waynesboro quickly got the sideout, putting Dudley behind the line for five more points.

Before the game ended, Waynesboro only cycled though its rotation once.

In the JV match, the Little Giants fell to Broadway 25-16, 25-22.