A very impressive comeback in the fourth set, as well as an all around great performance from the girls’ volleyball team last night resulted in a victory against Monacan. Being Senior Night, the pregame festivities featured ceremonies honoring each of the three members of the Class of 2023: Reagan Kruger, Izzy Carter and Kendra Weigand.

Kruger was the first of the seniors recognized last night. Escorted by her mother, Kruger was introduced as one of the main offensive stars for the Cavalier team over the last four years. She plans to attend the University of Tennessee to study interior design. 

Recognized next was Wiegand. She was described as a “defensive specialist” in her senior introduction. Weigand has spent the last three years on the varsity team after being called up from the junior varsity (JV) team after her freshman year. Weigand plans to attend Christopher Newport University to study neuroscience.

Recognized last was Izzy Carter. I. Carter has dedicated five years to the Cavs volleyball team, while spending four of those on the varsity team. After making the JV team as an eighth grader, she was immediately called up to the varsity team before her freshman year at The Hill. I. Carter plans to study criminal justice at Virginia Commonwealth University.

With pregame recognitions in the rearview, there was still a match to be played. The Cavaliers were taking on a scrappy Monacan Chiefs team. While the first two sets were mainly dominated by the Green and Gold, the Chiefs made the match interesting over the next two. 

The first and second sets saw the Cavs score five unanswered points each. The sets were very much a team effort as multiple players stepped up to help the team. While the seniors certainly did their jobs, the first and second sets saw very impressive play by those of other classes. The scoreboard at the end of those two sets read 25 to 11 and 25 to 20, respectively. 

Of those impressive underclass performances, sophomore Sophia Carter stood out as the most impactful player throughout the four set match. She contributed 13 aces on 23 attempts with two kills, making her the Cavalier Chronicle Player of the Game award winner. While her work on the offensive side of the ball was very formidable, her work on the defensive side was just as, if not more, spectacular, as she produced seven digs. 

“During the first and second set, [Monacan] showed me what I needed to work on throughout the game and how I could do better,” S. Carter said.  “I kind of switched it up every now and then.”

The third and fourth sets told a different story than the first two. The third set saw back-and-forth action between the two teams with Monacan vastly improving both their offensive and defensive play. The Cavs no longer looked like they were in control of the match, as they lost the third set by a score of 25 to 20.

 The aforementioned comeback came in the fourth set. Down 15 to nine, the Green and Gold went on a 16 to six run en route to a 25 to 21 set win. It was like a switch flipped halfway through the set, something that Player of the Game S. Carter says resulted from a change in the game plan.

“A lot of people were very tired at that point,” S. Carter said. “I knew something needed to happen and thought ‘my strongest suit is serving,’ so I thought [that] I might as well try as hard as I can to help the team.”

On Senior Night, a win meant the world to the Cavaliers. As I. Carter put it, the win shows the growth of herself, as well as the team as a whole. 

“It means a lot,” I. Carter said. “I’ve given five years to this program and to win on Senior Night [shows that] I’ve come full circle… me and all the seniors.”

Moving forward, the Cavs will play their next game on Oct. 20 at Powhatan High School (10-6) at 7 p.m., as they look to carry the momentum gained from last night in order to take down the Indians.