The Alleghany volleyball team played host to the Northside Vikings Thursday in their Blue Ridge District opener and fell in straight sets.
Northside won the match 25-13, 25-18, 25-19 to improve to 5-6 on the year and 1-0 in district play.
“We played well in spots, but can not seem to keep the momentum when we need the critical points,” stated Alleghany coach Jackie Almarode. “We will start over again on Monday.”
A kill from Erin Durham gave Alleghany an early 6-3 lead in the first set, but the Vikings’ Lindsay Jarrett would start hammering down the kills to help the Vikings get back in the match.
Jarrett’s first kill of the set brought the Vikings to within two (9-7) and Samantha Nguyen followed that up with a nine-point service run to give Northside a 16-10 lead.
Kathleen Carr’s kill increased the Vikings’ lead to 18-12.
Northside led 20-13 late in the first set and served out the rest of the game to take a 1-0 lead.
The second set was all Lady Vikings.
Northside jumped out to an early 9-3 lead and they led 13-8 later in the set.
The Vikings extended their lead to 19-12 behind a Carr kill.
An ace from Durham pulled Alleghany to with five (22-17) later in the set, but Northside’s Kelsey Jarrett provided the final blow with a kill as the Vikings won the second set 25-18 to take a 2-0 lead.
Laura Peterson staked AHS to an early 3-1 lead in the third set and they led 8-6 following a four-point service run from Eli McCutchen.
Northside’s Carr then reeled off six straight points, including four aces, to put the Lady Vikings on top 12-9.
Trailing 14-10, Durham reeled off five straight points to knot the set at 15.
A stuff block from Maegan Walton knotted the st at 14 and a Peterson kill gave AHS a brief 15-14 lead, but the Vikings scored the next point to knot the set.
The set was knotted again at 16 before Carr hammered down three straight kills to give the Vikings an 19-17 lead.
A Mindy Gillispie kill pulled AHS to within one (19-18), but that would be as close as they would get as Northside would scored the next six out of seven points to win the set and the match.
Durham led the Lady Mounties with 12 points, while Peterson had 10 points and a kill.
Brittany Reed and Rachelle Casstevens finished with eight points each, Eli McCutchen added six, Maegan Walton had four and Emily Depriest rounded out the AHS scoring with two points.
Gillispie finished with two kills and two blocks. Walton had three blocks in the loss.
Alleghany (4-8, 0-1 BRD) will be back in action Tuesday at home against Lord Botetourt.
The Vikings made it a sweep with a 25-21, 25-22 straight-set win in the preliminary.
The Little Vikings came from behind in both sets to win.
“We had them in the second game but let them go,” said Almarode. “We must find the courage to win.”