Long Reach volleyball jumps out to fast start in 3-1 win over No. 13 Mt. Hebron

Oct. 10—Long Reach volleyball took control early, winning the opening two sets over No. 13 Mt. Hebron. However, the Vikings wouldn't go down without a fight, taking the third set and jumping out to a four-point lead to start the fourth.

With Mt. Hebron's momentum surging, senior captain Allison Brown gathered the Lightning in the middle to provide encouragement. Fellow senior Hayley Norton immediately responded with a four-point serving stretch, an early catalyst in the comeback. The Lightning ultimately rallied to win the fourth set and close out the match, 25-13, 25-15, 18-25, 25-15.

"It's one of my favorite things about being captain is just helping everyone stay out of their head and focus on the game," Brown said. "When we're down, just focusing on how we can get out of it. One of the things that our coach from last year [Erik Groch] liked to say that I like to say is, 'Fix it. That mistake happened, fix it the next play.' It really helps, just focus on the future of the game instead of staying in the past."

The victory proved to be extra special for the Lightning (8-3, 6-3 Howard County). After winning five matches last year with much of the same core, Long Reach's eighth win marks the most in program history.

The first set remained close until Long Reach took control late. The Lightning won 11 of the final 13 points, taking advantage of multiple Vikings attack errors, getting several kills from Brown and junior Addy Van Oosten. With a one-set lead, Long Reach's confidence reached new heights. The Lightning quickly built a 9-2 lead in the second with Van Oosten once again playing a critical role. They kept their foot on the gas to close out set for a commanding two-set lead.

"I liked that they did all of the things that we've been asking them to do: run those really fast plays and make sure that they're getting the ball," Long Reach coach Jen Van Oosten said. "Getting those passes where they need to be and the setter is getting all those girls to the balls that they need."

Mt. Hebron struggled to climb out of early deficits with Ava Bradley and Jillian Shoultz two of its senior leaders and top offensive threats, out injured.

"It's really difficult," Mt. Hebron coach Tina Catanach said of the early deficits. "Having five seniors on the court is a very different mindset than having two seniors on the court. A couple of juniors and a sophomore, they're just lacking the experience of the mental toughness to dig ourselves out of that hole and find that consistency. Jillian and Ava really brought a fire that we're trying to fulfill in that competitiveness."

Long Reach once again built an early advantage in the third, seemingly on the way to closing the match out in three sets. Mt. Hebron had other ideas, executing a five-point run to tie it with key contributions from Lauren Roselle and Rithika Choutkuri. Seniors Caroline Zheng and Emerson Rose helped sure up some of the Vikings' earlier mistakes and allowed them to maintain the lead. Roselle continued to spark the offense, totaling a team-high 15 kills.

Mt. Hebron (6-4, 5-4) struggled to maintain the same attacking efficiency throughout the fourth after taking an early lead. Trailing 8-7, Long Reach won eight of the ensuing nine points to build a 15-9 advantage. They didn't relinquish the lead the rest of the way, now moving onto the next challenge with two more ranked opponents,No. 5 Glenelg and No. 15 Reservoir to close out the county regular season.

"I'm really proud of what we've done," Addy Van Oosten said. "Most of this team, we were also on varsity last year, so we all know each other. We have chemistry and work together well. Having everyone come back this year after playing club and improving even more I feel like that helps a lot with the overall play."