Varsity Volleyball
Schedule
Roster
Coaches
Team Stories
Our Varsity Volleyball Team hosted Asheville Christian Academy in the second round of the playoffs on Saturday, October 21st. The Warriors had been preparing for this matchup since early Friday. The Warriors knew that this would be a tough matchup as the Lions always has a tough team and make a strong post season push. The Warriors started off slow, giving away multiple points to the Lions due to lineup/rotation errors. The Warriors fought to come back from the early deficit and but could not string along enough plays to take the first match. The second match the Warriors started off strong but seemed to run out of gas towards the end of the set. The Warriors fought hard all match long but just did not have enough in the tank to defeat the Lions. The Athletic Department would like to thank all of the ladies for their hard work and dedication. A special thank you goes out to our Senior Volleyball Players: Skyler Woods, Rebekah Leshnock, Emily Diehl, Maya Foster, Grace Viera, and Bailey Fuller.
The Varsity Girls Volleyball Team traveled to Asheville, NC on Thursday, October 20th to take on Asheville Christian Academy. The Warriors had been battle test all week in the 3A StateTournaments with tough games against Cary Christian and Asheville School. After fighting their way to a victory in each of those match ups the Warriors found out they would face an even stronger opponent On Saturday, October 22nd. The Warriors headed down to Asheville on Saturday to match-up against undefeated Lions of Asheville Christian Academy. The Warriors were very scrappy as usual making several hustle plays and forcing long volleys against the Lions. The Lions were able to close out the first set and had the momentum going into the second. In the second set the Warriors continued to play hard and play together to overcome the power hitters and play at the net for the Lions. Ultimately those 2 things combined proved to be a bit much and Asheville Christian would go on to win the second and third matches also. Join me in congratulating the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team and Coaches on a great season! Let's also thank them for their hard work and dedication in serving St. David's!
Emotions were flying high on Senior Night as the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team hosted conference opponent Trinity Academy on October 11th. The game started off very intense with several lead changes. The Lions went on a run which led them to a 4 point lead. The Warriors were able to rally back but it would not be enough to close out the set. The Lions won the first set 25-17. The second set was much like the first with several lead changes, a hard fought battle, and Cary Christian closing out the victory with a 25-15 win. "Before the third set started I suggested to the girls that they play for their parents since they seemed flat the first two sets. I could see the fire in their eyes after our talk," said Coach Lightbourn. There was a fire indeed! The Warriors following up Coach Lightbourn's speech with 2 hard fought grudge matches in the 3rd and 4th sets. The Warriors were able to win those sets behind the hustle, tough play, and great serves by several players. The Warriors were able to force a 5th set with the Lions. Having used most of their energy battling back from a 0-2 deficit, fatigue began to set in on the Warriors. Trinity kept their composure and was able to capitalize each time the Warrior made an error. Trinity Academy may have won the match 3-2 but the Warriors did not go down without a fight! Thank you to our Seniors, Greysen Woody, Emma Walsh, and Catherine Hodge for their numerous years of dedication and service to the St. David's Varsity Girls Volleyball Team!
The Varsity Girls Volleyball Team traveled to Grace Christian on September 29th for an in conference match up. The Warriors walked into a packed crowd full of enthusiasm at Grace. The first set had multiple lead changes and the Warriors had a few opportunities to seal the deal but could not close the set out and the Eagles won 25-23. The second set was similar to the first with several lead changes but once again Grace Christian was able to keep their composure and pulled off the unthinkable win again with the same score of 25-23. After two hard fought sets the Warriors came out flat in the 3rd set and the Eagles were able to take advantage and won the third set 25-10. The Warriors are on Fall Break next week and will be in action again on Tuesday, October 11th for Senior Night versus Trinity Academy.
Our Varsity Volleyball Team hosted Wake Christian on Tuesday, September 20th. The Varsity Volleyball Team marched into competition on Tuesday ready to try and bounce back from a loss the previous week. The Warriors soon found themselves in a toe to toe battle with the Bulldogs of Wake Christian. The score went back and forth in the first match with both teams swinging big and making plays. The Bulldogs would eventually take the upper hand following a few service return errors by the Warriors. Having lost the first match the Warriors were prepared for another face off but would find themselves in another hard fought battle as the Bulldogs were not letting up. The Warriors were now down 2 matches to none. The Warriors were able to regroup and come out swinging for the third match. Some big serves by Freshman Grimsley McNairy and Junior Skyler Woods put the Warriors on a roll and they continued to gain momentum throughout the match. The Warriors were able to secure the third match and found themselves heading into unfamiliar territory, a fourth match for the first time this season. During the fourth match the Warriors traded the with the Bulldogs. A few calls that were not in the favor of the Warriors seemed to take a little steam out of their engine and there were unable to regain control of the match. The Warriors ended up with a 1-3 loss. The Warriors will be in action again on Thursday, September 22nd as they travel to Trinity Academy for a 5:15pm game time.
The Varsity Volleyball Warriors played their final match of the 2021 season on Saturday, October 23rd in High Point in the NCISAA Championship hunt. "The feeling of being in the quarter finals with my teams was indescribable. The girls were hype, both crowds were loud and the atmosphere was so electric" Coach Romel Lightbourn said. During the opening set, both teams were point for point all the way up to 23-23 where Senior Samantha Leshnock got the last 2 kills to close out the first set.
St. David’s knew this match would be a dog fight and the team that made the least mistakes would win. High Point Christian protected their come court and took the second set 18-25 but the Warriors responded and won the third as Leshnock, the team captain, took the team on her shoulders and lead the team to a 25 - 22 victory over High Point in the third set.
Each set was very close but during the fourth set Emma Walsh went down with a severe sprain and from there the team, unable to recover the hiccup, had a couple of miscommunication errors and loss the fourth set 19 - 25. The Warriors fought extremely hard in this game but ended up giving it up in the final set where High point gain momentum and never looked back winning the fifth set 15-10.
Coach Romel said "As a coach, I am extremely proud of the way they competed. I told them it would take every we have to win this match and they left everything on the court. They played a phenomenal match but we fell short of a couple of points. Our seniors played such an important role in the growth of our program and the development of this team. Seniors, we love you and you will definitely be missed."
The 7 seniors will be missed by teammates, coaches, and parents. The 2021 season was a great one, with amazing competition and amazing memories that will never be forgotten.
On Thursday, October 14th, the Varsity Volleyball team fell to the Wake Christian Bulldogs at home. The match was an out of conference game, meaning it did not affect the Warriors’ standing in their conference. Even so, the Lady Warriors were still hoping to pull off a win over the Bulldogs. Unfortunately, the game did not go their way. The ladies battled closely with Wake Christian, but they fell off at the end of each set due to unforced errors and lack of effort. Finishing out at the end of each set is something the Warriors struggle with and that they hope to improve heading into playoffs. Head Coach Romel Lightbourn stated that the ladies need to “keep the momentum from the beginning to the end of the game and minimize the errors that cost them a loss by the end of the match”. Lightbourn wishes to see his team fight harder to win at the end of the sets and fight harder in matches overall. The Bulldogs were a strong team with a powerful offense. The Warriors had a strong defensive night, but the offense is what mainly costed the loss. The ladies are working bettering all aspects of the game before playoffs and are determined to win in playoffs.
The Varsity Volleyball ladies beat Arendell Parrott Academy in 3 straight sets Thursday, September 16th in Kinston. The team is thrilled to have broken their 5 set match streak, and especially against one of their biggest rivals, the Patriots. Defense was key in this game, as Parrott has a strong offense. The Warriors displayed the tenacious defense they have been working on in practice by never letting a ball drop and certainly not without a body hitting the ground. Not only did the defense perform well, but so did the serving and offense. The first set was tight, as the team was working to figure out their opponent. The ladies closed the set out by finishing 25-23. The second set improved, with a score of 25-19. The third and final set was the best of the match, 25-12. The team is ecstatic to have won this important conference game and hopes to bring tonight’s performance in the coming matches. The team will play Cary Christian for the second time on Tuesday, September 21st. The game is home, so if you are able, come out and support the team!
The Varsity Warriors Volleyball team fell to the Durham Academy Cavaliers in three straight sets during their home match on Thursday evening. The first set was lost 25-14, while the second was closer with a score of 25-19. The third set’s score was 25-16. Although the Warriors fought hard, they did not come out with their 5thwin of the regular season. Coach Romel Lightbourn said it is imperative that the Warriors “come out much stronger in the first set in order to stay strong throughout the entirety of the match.” To beat other tough, experienced teams like Durham Academy, the team will need to limit errors, keep the defense aggressive, and continue the strong serving game. The team looks forward to their next game at Cary Christian on September 8th. This will be Warrior’s second meeting with the team this season, following their win over the Knights during a pre-season tournament in Winston Salem in mid-August.