‘She’s just Rachel Binda’

BRIDGEWATER — The Waynesboro Little Giants came back from an uncharacteristically sloppy first game to defeat the Turner Ashby Knights on Thursday, 13-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-20. Senior star Rachel Binda led the attack with 24 kills, six blocks and 10 service points.

Binda’s spectacular performance came as no surprise to her coach.

“She never quits, she always keeps going,” said Waynesboro head coach Lori Aleshire. “She’s just Rachel Binda.”

The Giants (12-4) have not lost since a gut-wrenching 3-2 defeat at the hands of Fort Defiance on September 29, but it certainly looked like they might heading for one on Thursday night after opening with a 25-13 loss to the Knights.

Mistakes plagued the Giants down the stretch, after the Knights had built a comfortable 16-11 lead on five unanswered points.

“We didn’t pass well and we didn’t play as a unit,” Aleshire said, referring to her team’s dismal performance in the first game.

In the second game, Waynesboro was able to jump ahead early on, but junior Sara Ritchie led Ashby back with an outstanding display. Ritchie racked up five kills in that game alone, and totaled 16 on the night. Despite the ferocious rally by the Knights, the Giants prevailed with a 25-20 win.

The third game of the match was by far the most hotly contested of the night. The Giants and Knights ran neck-in-neck until it was tied at 24, and Binda once again came up huge for her team, scoring on a kill before the final matchpoint.

Aleshire wasn’t fazed by the nail-biter victories her team managed to pull out throughout the match.

“Volleyball is supposed to be close, so as long as you come out on top, a win is a win.”

After two straight heartbreakers, the Knights once again gave a valiant effort in the fourth and final game, but Binda was too much to contain, with six more kills. Ashby got to within 22-20 before Waynesboro scored the final three points of the game, propelled by back-to-back kills by Binda.

Junior Toya Diggs had another memorable defensive performance with 22 digs, while junior Callie Owens had 11 service points.

The Knights (12-5) have now lost three matches in a row, all three coming to teams from the Southern Valley District – Stuarts Draft, Fort Defiance and Waynesboro. They were hoping to avenge being swept by the Giants on September 10.

Ritchie added 22 digs to complement her offensive output, and senior Alyssa Pennington led the Knights in scoring with 11 service points.

Waynesboro will host a Southern Valley District match on Tuesday against Stuarts Draft, while Ashby will look to get back in the wins column versus Spotswood.