Oak Ridge Lady War Eagles outlast College Park Cavaliers in five sets

OAK RIDGE NORTH, Texas -- The District volleyball matchup between the Oak Ridge Lady War Eagles and the College Park Cavaliers was the slugfest that everyone expected. College Park was out to avenge their previous loss to Oak Ridge, and the Lady War Eagles were determined not to let that happen on their court, on their homecoming night.

Although Oak Ridge, now with a 28-5 record (8-2 in District play), and College Park 24-8 (5-4 in District), the two teams match up well as evidenced by the number of lead changes in the sets, that was ultimately won in five by Oak Ridge: 17-25, 26-24, 25-22, 17-25, 15-8.

The Cavaliers led the charge in the first set, with everyone getting in on the kill for a total of 15, led by Emily Thorson with 5, Haley Sobosle followed with 4, and Kennedi Smith with 3, also contributed a couple of aces.

The extensive volleys attested to the strength of the defenses on these two teams, whose statistics on blocks and digs are twice the national average. The skilled play by Liberos, Raigen Cianciulli (OR) and Savannah Rutledge (CP), contributed significantly to the high number of digs; Oak Ridge ending up with 30 to College Park’s 24 in this set, but the War Eagles came up short in scoring with a lesser number of aces, kills, and assists.

The second set was the ‘clash of the titans’ as Oak Ridge’s big three of Victoria Harris, Brooke Clark, and Carly Graham, duked it out with College Park’s Kennedi Smith and Emily Thorson. They traded kill shots and blocks, and the lead changed so many times, it was uncertain how this one was going to turn out. What was certain was that Victoria Harris (OR) and Kennedi Smith (CP) had each other in their sights, and time after time they drilled each other across the net in a test of wills and skills. Smith had 7 kills, 5 digs; Harris lobbed a salvo of her own with 6 kills and 5 digs. Brooke Clark (OR) with 6 kills and 5 digs, and 9 assists, contributed immeasurably, as did the new kid on the block, Freshman Carly Graham, with 3 kills, 9 assists, and 4 digs. Raigen Cianciulli continued to make her presence known with double-digit digs and an ace. When the dust settled, Oak Ridge had come out on top in a close set, 26-24.

In the third set, both teams eased off the fire power, incorporating a better mix of technique, which included light touches over the net, and better place shooting in an effort to exploit weak spots. Brooke Clark and Morgan McCoy of Oak Ridge, were especially effective at this, but Harris and Smith refused to let up, hammering away at each other, trading cross-court kill shots. Oak Ridge ended up with this set 25-22.

In a true testament to how well-trained these athletes are, the Cavaliers collected themselves in the fourth set, coming back with effective cross-court kills, that Oak Ridge answered with a few of their own. The two teams amassed a half-dozen cross-court kills of the two dozen total kill shots. The slugfest was back on and both teams rallied, possibly running on pure adrenalin. College Park exhibited better team play in this set than in the previous ones, and their balanced attack beat Oak Ridge in all stats by a third. College Park’s Emily Thorson emerged with a half-dozen kills to offset Victoria Harris’ efforts that were keeping Oak Ridge in this set. The Cavaliers forced the game into a fifth set, beating Oak Ridge 25-17.

In the fifth set, superb ball placement led the Lady War Eagles to victory when Carly Graham executed an inside, back corner shot, Brooke Clark drilled one down the sideline, and Victoria Harris dealt the death blow by drilling one into the center of the back of the court.

Head coach, Tommie Lynne Sledge, credited the team’s leadership with preparing the team for this game.

“My leadership really stepped up. I can say my senior, Victoria Harris, put a lot on herself this week in making sure our girls were ready, as well as Jaclyn Ward,...they wanted this game…,” said Coach Sledge.

Harris did put a lot on herself and on the court, tying with Brooke Clark for kills, with 15 each. Raigen Cianciulli continues to reign supreme with digs...an amazing 36! Carly Graham is a force to be reckoned with. Leading in assists with 18, she also finished with seven kills and 16 digs, rivaling teammate, Jaclyn Ward’s 17 assists and 18 digs, throw in three kills and an ace, and it was a great team effort that Coach Sledge was talking about.

Likewise, College Park exhibited great team play and put up amazing stats with Kennedi Smith and Emily Thorson tying for kills with 17 each, and 20 and 19 digs respectively. Hannah Erwin gets all-around honors for College Park with 14 kills, 26 assists, and 18 digs.

Speaking of her team, College Park Head Coach Candice Collins said, “They’re a great team. They play with a lot of heart.”

College Park will be able to demonstrate it three more times as they finish district play in games with Summer Creek, Kingwood, and Conroe, which they should take.

Oak Ridge will face The Woodlands High School again next Tuesday, October 21, in a home game, then play at Summer Creek to end their season.

In an interesting note...There will be a new No. 1 team in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Volleyball Rankings, thanks to unranked Sacred Heart (Louisville, Ky.) knocking off top-ranked Mercy (Louisville, Ky.).