Indians Continue To Roll Through Shenandoah

FORT DEFIANCE – Fort Defiance's unbeaten rampage through the volleyball regular season continued unabated Thursday night after the Indians added the Buffalo Gap Bison to the list for a second time with a 25-15, 25-7, 25-6 Shenandoah District sweep.

High-powered Fort (19-0, 13-0) has swept 12 of the 13 district matches and 17 of 19 overall. The Indians have lost only three sets all season, two in a five-set thriller at Rockbridge County and one to Western Albemarle at the Fluvanna Invitational.

The Indians are cranking up for another postseason run that they hope will land them back in the Class 2 state championship match, and this time with a different result. Fort, the No. 1 seed in Region 2B, has only three matches left in the regular season to work out any kinks. With the region only taking six teams to the postseason, the Indians are virtually guaranteed a quarterfinal bye straight into the semifinals where one win puts them back into state play.

“We still have tough opponents left to play,” Fort head coach Amber Pitsenbarger said. “We want to keep the focus, win the district title and finish undefeated. We don't want to peak too early. Keep ramping up for the postseason.”

Pitsenbarger admitted the lack of pressure-packed matches that come down to the wire could be concerning, but the team's veteran leadership should overcome that potential issue.

“We have a lot of returners that have seen the pressure of the postseason from last year,” she said. “It's not like they haven't experienced the playoff pressure. Our team practices have been our toughest opponent, which is getting us prepared.”

The match turned into another record-setter for Fort's Maecy Ann Frizzelle. In the second set, the senior served up her school-record 186th career ace, which broke Ella Shreckhise's record of 185 from last season.

Frizzelle's performance didn't stop with the ace. She ripped 22 kills, had a .405 hitting percentage and added eight digs.

The Indians didn't have the smoothest first set, but turned it on over the final two in allowing the young Bison only 13 combined points.

“We need to start stronger,” Pitsenbarger said. “We can't have these slow starts in the playoffs. The girls need to cherish every moment on the court. There's not a lot of time left for the seniors. One slip up and that time will suddenly end.”

Gap, which led only once in the match at 3-2 in the first set, hung with the Indians early until they went on an 8-1 surge to gain control at 23-13. Autumn Weber's kill ended the opening set.

Fort found its rhythm and dominated the final two sets. The Indians raced to an 18-5 advantage in the second set behind Frizzelle's five kills and historic ace. They scored the first six points of the final set and were off to the races, which ended with back-to-back kills from Frizzelle.

After Frizzelle's numbers, Caroline Hanger had seven kills, 11 digs and four aces. Livia Clinedinst tallied six kills and a .545 hitting percentage. Norah Anderson pulled up 18 digs and Weber added 11. Alexis Miller had 30 assists and one ace.

Gap (3-14, 1-12), which is mired in a 10-match losing streak with a youth-laden roster of five sophomores and four freshmen, is still firmly entrenched into the Region 1B playoffs. The Bison came into the week at No. 5, just behind the rival Riverheads Gladiators. Those two could see each other for a third time in the regional quarterfinals.

“My freshmen are learning with each match,” Gap head coach Elizabeth Ashby said. “We are going to keep playing hard and see what happens when the playoffs start.”

Bailey Tribble led the Bison with seven kills and seven digs. Avery Wheeler had 10 assists and 12 digs. Lindsay Lyle recorded seven digs and Laci Woods had five.

Fort hits the road to Wilson Memorial on Tuesday, while the Bison are home to entertain Waynesboro.