The Shadow
T-E-A-M
Rookie coach Tara Uzzell is hoping that those four letters add up to success this fall.
Wednesday night, her Mountaineer volleyball team took a step in the right direction.
Powered by a match-high 12 kills from senior Maegan Walton and 20 assists from senior setter A.J. Keith, Alleghany evened their early season record at 1-1 with a three-set win over Parry McCluer, 25-21, 26-24, 25-21.
“We definitely needed to get this first win under our belt,” said Uzzell. “I told the girls last night that the only thing I wanted them to work on was teamwork.
“I think they are really coming around,” she added. “They are starting to play as a team and not six individuals.”
That teamwork paid dividends on Wednesday.
Seven different Mountaineers had kills in the match.
After a 25-21 win in the first, Alleghany fended off a Parry McCluer set point in the second.
Down 24-23, Hayley Oliver put away a kill to tie things.
Two bullet serves from Keith, the first one finished off by a big swing from Walton and the second resulting in an ace, gave the hosts a 2-0 set lead.
The Mountaineers jumped to a 10-3 lead in the third behind serving runs from Keith and Allie Morgan and held off the Blues comeback attempt late.
Walton had six of her kills in the third set.
Keith added four kills to her solid floor game, while Oliver and Olivia Smith had three each.
Parry McCluer was a 18-25, 25-19, 15-10 winner in the junior varsity preliminary.
Alleghany will host area rival Covington at Mountaineer Gym on Monday.
