Taking advantage of wounded Wildcats, Hawks sweep match

After a dominating three-game victory against Deep Run, the Hanover girls volleyball players were hesitant to celebrate too much.

“I think we were just shocked that they were missing so many of their players,“ Hawks senior Taylour Hopkins said.

What was supposed to be a marquee early-season matchup between two of the area’s top teams lost some of its luster just minutes before the first serve.

Deep Run senior Meghann Forshey sprinted off the court, and out of the gym, with her hand wrapped in ice. She returned in the third game with the diagnosis: a broken pinky.

Forshey wasn’t the only Wildcat watching from the bench last night. Junior Mallory Woolridge will sit out a couple weeks to rest a stress fracture in her ankle. And sophomore starter Chaney LaReau will miss the whole season with a torn ACL.

The absence of 5-10 Forshey and 6-4 Woolridge reduced the team’s frontcourt—dubbed the “Land of the Giants”—down to a more ordinary size, which the Hawks took advantage of in their 25-14, 25-20, 25-22 victory.

“It’s a disappointment because we really wanted Mallory and Meghann to play, to give us that level of competition,“ Hanover senior Katie Hudencial said.

The teams had met at full strength last Saturday at the Virginia Volleyball Showcase, with the Wildcats winning in four sets.

Yesterday Hanover was led by Kristin Carpenter, who recorded nine kills and 15 digs. Senior Kim Browning had eight digs, six blocks and five kills out of the backcourt.

After dominating the first game, the Hawks got a scare put into them in the second one when Deep Run went on a 5-0 run to take a 19-16 lead. Hanover responded with a 6-0 run of its own to surge to victory.

The third game started with hope for the Wildcats, who took a 5-1 lead. But the Hawks chipped away, aided by a substitution foul against Deep Run, its third of the night.

Wildcat seniors Eleanor Moran and Lindsey McClellan had some strong net play to help the team tie the game, but they never led by more than one point the rest of the match.

Moran had three solo blocks, and Ashley Dintaman led the Wildcats with three kills. McClellan had four aces, and coach Terra Balla credited her with helping the team stay composed.

“She tried to keep everything flowing on the floor,“ Balla said. “I thought she did a good job keeping her composure.“

Deep Run takes a much-needed week off now in its schedule. For Hanover, the senior trio of Hopkins, Carpenter and Rachel Williams continue their quest for a state title in their fifth year playing together. Hawks coach Wendy Wadsworth said that she looked forward to facing the Wildcats down the road, when injuries are less of a factor.

“We didn’t bring our A-game tonight,“ Wadsworth said. “But it was really hard to get up for the match after those injuries.“

Contact Michael Phillips at .