WAYNESBORO – The Waynesboro Area Senior High School varsity girls’ volleyball team got off to a 2-0 start to the 2023 season, winning matches at Shippensburg and Gettysburg.
In those two contests, the Maidens won six of seven sets. They entered this week with home matches against two considerably more competitive teams, including Tuesday’s matchup against Greencastle-Antrim. Waynesboro was eager to put Monday’s 3-1 non-conference loss to South Western behind it, but the Blue Devils were too much to handle.
Greencastle notched a sweep of the Blue Devils Mid-Penn Colonial Division match, winning by scores of 25-13, 25-18 and 25-20.
As always, the student section was vocal. They were decked out in all black clothing and did their best to impart some extra energy in the Maidens.
While that didn’t quite happen, their presence and support help to make high school sports special, and serves to minimize the impact of a not-so-hoped-for-outcome.
Nevertheless, after losing the first set, Waynesboro got off to a rousing start in the second game. The Maidens surged out to an 8-1 lead which prompted Blue Devils coach Corry Eagler to call time out to regroup. The Blue Devils scored the first point. Jaeda Dockman recorded a side-out kill, and Olivia Fortmann served for seven consecutive points, including an ace to make the score 8-1.
However, the Blue Devils came back strong. They reeled off six straight points, and after giving up a side-out point and a service ace by Dockman, Greencastle scored six more points in succession to take the lead 13-10.
There were three ties as both teams volleyed feverishly – the Maidens trying to tie up the match and the Blue Devils trying to make it an early night and to keep the hosts from feeding off the home crowd.
It was 14-14 after a kill by Haven King. It was 16-16 when Klara Helman passed to Dockman for a side out point. Dockman registered another kill to make it 17-17.
The Blue Devils began to pull away, thanks in part to a Waynesboro unforced error. Kylie Kerns served up back-to-back aces to give the visitors a 21-17 lead. The Maidens got a point back, but Greencastle tallied the four points to seal the win in a lively game.
The third game was the most compelling one yet. Waynesboro was one step behind the entire way but somehow dug deep to score six consecutive points to prevent the Blue Devils from at least winning by double digits.
The Maidens trailed 24-14, which put Greencastle on match point. King put together some strong serves, and Waynesboro played the most complete it had played the entire match. Still, the Blue Devils needed just a single point to clinch the win, and Mia Jones delivered.
The varsity match followed an exciting junior varsity contest won by Waynesboro in three games. The Maidens won the first set 25-14 and lost 26-24 to force a third-and-deciding third game. Waynesboro won that game 15-12.
Waynesboro will try to put the pieces together as it awaits Big Spring on Thursday inside the Waynesboro High School gymnasium.
