CHURCH HILL — Junior Adah Snodgrass racked up 21 kills to lead Volunteer to a five-set win over visiting Dobyns-Bennett on Monday in a prize fight of a volleyball match to kick off the 2024 season.
The Lady Falcons defeated the Lady Indians 19-25, 25-19, 25-22, 22-25, 15-7 for the 3-2 nonconference victory. The two heavy-hitting teams swapped blows throughout, with Snodgrass often delivering the decisive blow for Volunteer hitting from both the middle and outside.
“For us, it’s not a surprise at all that she performed so well. It’s an expectation,” Volunteer head coach Nora Barton said. “I watched her during travel ball. I saw such positive things. She’s just growing from there.”
Traditionally a middle hitter, the Volunteer junior was especially effective from the outside where she mixed monster kills with timely tips to rack up points for the Lady Falcons.
“The team always knows where the spots are. They’re watching the floor and communicating that. Coach (Nora) Barton always tells me spots that are open. I try to look for spots and, if something works, I just keep trying it,” Snodgrass said.
The Lady Falcons seized the momentum early in the final set. A Snograss block to put Volunteer up 6-2 forced the Lady Indians to take a timeout. They spent their second one trailing 11-6.
“It is a momentum game. It’s a game of make less mistakes than your opponent and keep the energy on your side of the net. We were able to do that tonight,” Barton said. “It’s a really big win. D-B did not make it easy on us. They’re such a great ball team.”
Sophomore Kayla Capson came up big at the net again for Volunteer, pushing the lead in the final set to 10-5 on back-to-back plays. Capson also reeled off the last two service points in the match, with Snodgrass delivering the final blow with a cross-court kill for the win.
“We did have a lot of pressure on us, especially losing Veda (Barton). We weren’t sure what it was going to be like. But we worked really hard in preseason, and I think we were ready for this match,” Snodgrass said. “We wanted it. We really wanted to win. Games like this are a lot more fun. I feel like they push us to get better.”
Snodgrass finished with 21 kills, five blocks and three digs. Capson added six kills, a block and three service aces. Volunteer setter Lily Christian had 24 assists and six kills in the game. She also amassed 10 digs.
Libero Chloe Redwine finished with 20 digs for Volunteer. She also had three assists and two aces. Capson also came up big defensively with 14 digs in the match.
All nine Lady Falcons, playing without senior Aliah Laster, contributed in some way.
“There are so many kids that can do so many different things. It’s kind of like a puzzle for us. That’s part of the fun of being a coach, putting the puzzle pieces on the court and seeing what works well,” said Barton.
“Honestly, what works well one night against one team might not work well against another team. We just adjust to that, and they’re so able to do that. They’re so smart. It’s a great group of kids,” she added.
The versatility is crucial to the team’s success, Snodgrass said.
“Anybody on this team can play any spot. They know every spot and they’re good at it,” Snodgrass said. “Where we have so much chemistry as a team and we trust each other, I think anywhere she puts us, as we get a groove, we can do it.”
D-B jumped out to the early lead and led the first set 7-3 before Volunteer battled back. It was tied at 13, 15, 16 and 17 before the Lady Indians used solid hitting from Makiya Blye, Mela Brice and Nora Shook to take the set (19-25).
The second set was tied nine times before back-to-back blocks by Snodgrass turned the tide for Volunteer. An Aubree Hall kill, a Snodgrass tip, a Mattie Crowder ace and a lot of defensive hustle helped the Lady Falcons pull away for the 25-19 win.
The third set looked like a prize fight, with the teams trading blows on the front row and mopping up on defense with diving saves to keep balls in play. Volunteer finally put it away 25-22 with a Snodgrass kill.
With its back against the wall, trailing 2-1, D-B caught fire and jumped out to a 9-2 lead to start the fourth set. Volunteer battled back to tie it at 9-9. It was tied again at 16, 17 and 18 before Shook took charge and put the Tribe ahead to stay (22-25) to force the decisive fifth set.
“Nobody expects us to win. We can just play and have a good time, and when they’re having a good time, they’re winning,” Barton said. “Four years ago, I wanted to put some fun back into this. I know I yell at them, and I know I rant and rave. But if it’s not fun, we don’t want to have a part of it — and I can tell when we’re not having fun.”
In other action this week, the Lady Falcons (1-1) dropped a 25-20, 25-10, 25-18 road game to Daniel Boone. They’ll look to rebound with their Twin Lakes Conference opener on Thursday (Aug. 22) at Union County. Next week, they travel to West Ridge on Monday (Aug. 26), to Knox Gibbs on Tuesday (Aug. 27) and host Gate City on Wednesday (Aug. 28).
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