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Crucial Finish: Fluvanna volleyball overcomes slow start to defeat Monticello

After losing games against Albemarle in their last two outings, Fluvanna County was in desperate need of a strong performance at Monticello on night. Early on, it did not seem like the Flucos were going to deliver, as they dropped the first set and trailed the Mustangs late in the second set.

 

However, behind a strong 17-kill performance by Sophia Denby where she hit a scorching .481, Fluvanna rallied to win the second set and went on to handily win the third and fourth sets to take the match and give themselves a crucial boost towards clinching the automatic Region 3C playoff berth out of the Jefferson District. 

 

Monticello started strong in the first set, riding a pair of kills by Olivia Davis to take six of the first eight points of the match. Fluvanna went on a run next, taking a brief 16-13 lead after a flurry of kills by Sophia Denby and Amy Glowatch, who finished with seven kills. But, Monticello’s Adaire Burnsed recorded a pair of kills and helped the Mustangs retake the lead. Holding a 23-20 advantage, Monticello looked to close out the first set, before a couple more kills by Denby and an ace by Makayla Gentry tied the set at 23. Fluvanna’s comeback effort came up short, though, as the Mustangs took the next two points and the opening set, 25-23. 

 

“Monticello is a good team,” said Fluvanna head coach Christi Harlowe-Garrett. “They’ve got some girls who can flat-out hit the ball. They serve smart and they play good defense.”

 

Similar to the first set, the second set was closely-contested from start to finish, with neither team holding a lead of more than four points. Fluvanna’s setter Faith Shields, who recorded 38 assists in the match, also made a habit of dumping on second touches to catch the Mustangs off guard, doing so twice in the second set. 

 

“She [Faith Shields] is like the quarterback of the team,” said Harlowe-Garrett.“Sophia is not Sophia without Faith. And Faith is not Faith without the girls on the court passing the ball.”

 

Despite playing better in the second set, Fluvanna found themselves facing a Monticello set point after Adaire Burnsed scored to give the Mustangs a 24-23 lead. Denby responded with her fifth kill of the set to even things up, and the Flying Flucos took the next two points to square the match at one set apiece. 

 

“We learned from our mistakes in the first set,” Sophia Denby said. 

 

After two hard-fought and competitive sets to begin the match, Fluvanna managed to get in an unstoppable rhythm for the rest of the match. The  Flucos scored the first five points in the third set. Denby elevated her play with an impressive seven kills and three aces in the third set, as Fluvanna led by as many as 11 points. 

 

“She just did a fantastic job reading the ball she was given and making a good play on that ball,” Harlowe-Garrett said of Denby’s performance.

For Denby it was a matter of trust.

 

“Just trusting my teammates and being confident in myself,” Denby said. “I know my passers are going to put up a great pass and my setter is going to put up a great set and just knowing how to execute the ball, being a little bit smarter than just swinging whenever I wanted to, knowing what holes were open.”

 

After another Denby ace gave the Flucos a set point, Faith Shields went over on two again to win the third set, 25-17, for Fluvanna. 

 

“We struggled a little bit,” said Monticello head coach Meg Laughlin. “They had some really strong servers and really great outside hitters. They had a great game and we just did our best to adjust and respond.”

 

Fluvanna got off to another brilliant start in the fourth set, jumping out to an 11-1 lead. The Fluvanna defense seemed to shut down the Monticello hitters who were finding their spots so easily earlier in the match. Khania Brassfield had six blocks and Lindsay Ward had 24 digs for Fluvanna. 

 

In contrast to the close first two sets of the match, Fluvanna kept the Mustangs at arm’s length in the third set and the fourth set, which the Flucos won 25-19 to clinch the match. 

 

“It was a battle and that’s what we’ve come to love about playing each other,” said Harlowe-Garrett. 

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