Cody Dalton
Sports Writer
Norton – Gate City defeated the J.I. Burton Lady Raiders, 25-12, 25-21, 25-10, at Wilson Gymnasium in a non-district volleyball contest on Tuesday.
The Blue Devils (7-1, 2-0) started off extremely strong in the first game, jumping out to 9-2 lead before Burton could score again. Freshman Ashton Dougherty had two kills in the game’s first 6 points. She finished the game with 7 total kills.
“I thought Ashton Dougherty played really well,” Reed said. “She played really well for a freshman. Ashton was definitely our strongest point. She really stepped it up.”
Burton (5-8, 3-1) would rally in the first game to get within four points, 6-10. Gate City was just too strong though. They would score nine more points before finally taking the first game.
“I felt like we were a little intimidated in game one,” said Burton coach Jon Bright. “We knew that they were pretty good. We didn’t really know what to expect from them. It was a really quick game and it was something that we had not seen all season.”
Gate City got out to another great start in game two, but the Raiders would rally. After a 7-2 Blue Devil lead, Burton rallied to six of the next seven points. Freshman Cassie Godsey’s kill would tie the game at 8-8. The game remained close until the end.
With the score 18-17 in favor of Gate City, outside hitter Tessa Burton would deliver on two consecutive kills, giving the Blue Devils a three point cushion. A few kills and Burton mistakes later and the Devils claimed the second game.
“In the second game, I was really pleased with my team,” Bright said. “Gate City was able to get ahead of us, but we caught up to them. There at the end, they went on a run to finish the game off. We really hung with them though.”
The third game would be “do or die” for the Raiders and they came out playing tough. Burton forced Gate City into several mistakes, but the Blue Devils remained tough.
Gate City setter Chelsea Spivey would score two of the Blue Devil’s first three points in the third game. She ended the match with seven kills and 27 assists.
Burton would take their first lead of the game after an error by the Blue Devils. The lead would only be temporary, as two missed hits gave Gate City their own one point lead.
The Blue Devils went on to score eight more points in a row and hold the Raiders at bay. The lead was 14-5 in favor of Gate City.
Gate City ran the score up to 23-10 before a kill and block by outside hitter Jennifer Lewis gave the Blue Devils the victory.
“We had to come in here and execute offensively,” Reed said. “We weren’t able to do that. We did a lot of things on the net. There was a lot of inconsistency coming from the back row. Chelsea had to work a little harder tonight, so our team could make things happen. Luckily, we were able to get through the game out with a win.”
“This loss is tough,” Bright said. “It is hard to try and keep morale up every game, especially when you do lose. We are young though and we are going to be resilient. We have J.J. Kelly on Thursday and do the best we can against them.”
Despite the results, both team’s coaches see some room for improvement with their squads.
“Coming off of that back row is a big weakness for us,” Reed said. “We didn’t pass well or hit many of our serves. We just didn’t get the ball to our target tonight. Ultimately, that really hurts us offensively.”
“We need to improve on our passing,” Bright said. “Our setters run around too much as well. When we do get opportunities for a kill, we have to finish. We are hitting too many balls into the net. We have to make kills on a consistent basis.”
With such a tough road schedule to begin the season for Gate City, coach Reed realizes the importance of having your team play well away.
“Road trips are always important when you can get a win on someone else’s court,” said Gate City coach Amy Reed. “It really says a lot about your team.”
Both teams will play again Thursday, as Gate City hosts district foe John Battle, while J.I. Burton travels to J.J. Kelly.
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