R’heads takes Shenandoah crown

HARRISONBURG — The Riverheads Gladiators swept their way past a tenacious Stonewall Jackson squad en route to the Shenandoah District tournament title on Thursday night, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23.

After getting pushed to the brink by Page County in the semifinals, the top-ranked Gladiators were met by more stiff opposition in the Shenandoah championship game.

Riverheads coach Whitney Dove made sure that her team was not complacent despite being guaranteed a spot in the Region B tournament by virtue of being the No. 1 seed.

“Last night we were on a roller coaster,” Dove said. “Tonight, I told them, ‘even though we already have a bid into Regionals, you better pretend this is for your bid.’ ”

After opening the match with a pair of 25-21 wins, the Gladiators fell behind 14-10 in the third and final game. However, a tremendous streak of nine unanswered points propelled them to victory. After Riverheads went ahead 19-14, it was back and forth between the Gladiators and Generals, just as it had been throughout the first two games. The Generals eventually tied it at 23, but the Gladiators slammed the door on their final two possessions, as sophomore Katie Coffey scored the final point of the match, a fitting end to Coffey’s sensational night.

Coffey came up huge for Riverheads, accumulating eight kills, 11 points and 11 digs.

“She did absolutely unbelievable,” said Dove. “If I could give an MVP award for the game or for the tournament, it would go to her, hands down.”

In the first game of the match, neither team was ahead by more than two points until the Gladiators took a 19-16 lead after a Coffey kill. Down the stretch, juniors Kelsie Floyd and Kayla Baugh put up key blocks, as Riverheads scored the final six points.

After letting the first game slip away on account of their mistakes, the Generals found themselves playing catch-up in the second. The Gladiators jumped out to a quick 9-5 lead, but it would soon evaporate. The Generals, led by senior Heather Stout, got even at 14, and then went ahead 15-14. But, similar to the first game, Riverheads scored the last four points after Stonewall tied it at 21. Another critical kill by Floyd down the stretch provided the spark for a Game 2 win, and her Gladiators would go on to post the same result in the clinching Game 3.

Senior captain Kristen Moody also played an enormous role for the Gladiators, coming up with nine points, four blocks, five kills and 10 digs.

The Generals, coming off an upset victory over second-seeded Luray in the Shenandoah semifinals, found themselves in every single game, thanks in large part to Stout’s performance. The senior led the way with 12 kills and nine digs.

Though pleased with how her team played throughout the tournament, Stonewall head coach Sophie Stout acknowledged that critical mistakes were her team’s undoing in the title game.

“Our ball control tonight really put us in a damper,” she said. “Our passing was a bit erratic, and plus we had serving out at critical points, and you can’t win volleyball games when you’re serving out.”

The Generals were also no strangers to grind-it-out matches with their district rivals.

“This is the third time we’ve played them, and the last two matches have gone four and five,” Stout said.

Riverheads will host a match in the Region B tournament on Monday, while Stonewall hits the road.