Hidden Valley remained undefeated in River Ridge District volleyball and improved to 19-2 overall, as the Titans easily dispatched visiting Christiansburg 3-0 Tuesday night in the Hidden Valley gym.
The only two Hidden Valley losses this year have come at the hands of powerhouse Grafton in the Western Albemarle tournament and West Virginia’s Musselman in a 2-game showcase match during the Tournament of Champions last month.
The Titans were on cruise control from the outset Tuesday night, dominating the Blue Demons at the net and getting plenty of help from Christiansburg unforced errors.
Game one was tied at six before Hidden Valley went on runs of 7-1 and 12-6 for the 25-13 win. Game two produced the mirror image. Things were even at four when the Titans rolled with scoring bursts of 10-3 and 11-3 for the 25-10 victory. Hidden Valley never looked back in the game-three clincher, jumping out to a 9-3 advantage before liberal substitutions led to the 25-17 win.
“This type of match helps us down the road,” Hidden Valley head coach Carla Poff noted afterward. “More players get some experience and they’re not nervous about the outcome. We are always trying to get better. There’s new things we want to add before the tournaments begin.”
Madison Morris led the Hidden Valley power with 9 kills while fellow-senior Brooke Mitchell added 6 blasts past the Blue Demon defense. Bre Lockhart served 4 aces with Morris and Erin Newell each adding three service gems. Hanna Podeschi provided 12 assists for the Titans.
All eyes now point to the regular season finale against Cave Spring on Halloween night at the Titan gym. Hidden Valley took the first meeting 3-1 and the Knights have not lost since.
Poff downplayed the rematch. “We’re in a position knowing it’s (the outcome) not that big a deal. We have more wins overall, which should give us the top spot in the conference tournament.”
– Bill Turner