Blues ‘Have Really Great Week’

Blues ‘Have Really Great Week’ Parry McCluer Volleyball Team Wins Four Of Eight Matches

The Parry McCluer High School volleyball team earned two Pioneer District victories last week, sweeping Craig County on the road before returning home to claim a crucial 3-1 win over Narrows in a rematch of last year’s district tournament final.

The Fighting Blues also dropped a nondistrict game at home to Amherst County and went 2-3 in a tournament at James River High School in Buchanan, wrapping up the week with an 8-7 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the Pioneer.

On Thursday, PM defeated the Green Wave (5-4 overall, 2-1 district) by a 25-18, 24-26, 25-23, 25-23 count.

Kadence Zollman had a monster game, racking up 21 kills, 19 digs and eight service aces. The Blues worked hard to feed their all-district senior middle blocker, who ended up with 52 swings on the night.

“We were trying to be a little diverse – but it was mainly Kadence, because she was on fire,” PM head coach Jilane Hall said. “She was playing unstoppable… She really wanted to win, and you could see it in how she played.”

Jorja Catlett set up most of those looks for Zollman, tallying 32 assists in the match. Emory Slagle added eight kills, and Jaelyn Manning served up three aces.

Even with Zollman’s effectiveness at the net, Hall thought her team won the game because of its performance on defense. PM amassed 99 total digs in the 4-set match, getting 29 digs from Allie Cullen, 20 from Presley Camden and 13 apiece from Catlett and Josie Martinez.

“We were digging everything,” Hall said. “I think mentally, we came more ready to play than Narrows did. We outplayed them; we outworked them.”

When the teams met at top seed Narrows in last year’s Pioneer District tournament title match, the third-seeded Blues claimed a 3-2 victory for their first district title since 2005. PM’s effort and energy on Thursday snuffed out any thoughts that the Green Wave might have had about exacting revenge.

“They had so much grit and so much sheer determination,” Hall said of her team. “[The match] was electric.”

PM 3, CC 0

PM earned a 25-18, 25-18, 25-19 victory over Craig County in New Castle last Tuesday.

Zollman had 12 kills and seven aces to pace the Blues, and Slagle finished with five kills. Catlett recorded 20 assists and four kills, while Camden notched 13 digs and three aces. PM also got seven digs apiece from Cullen and Martinez, as well as two aces each from Cullen and Sophia Bouchelle.

While the Rockets (2-9, 0-4) are still searching for their first district win, Hall was pleased with her team’s level of play throughout the match.

“We were serving really tough; we were playing scrappy, getting a lot of touches on the ball,” the PM coach said. “I think it was a really good match for us to get into our groove.”

AC 3, PM 0

Amherst County defeated PM 3-0 in a nondistrict contest in Buena Vista on Monday of last week.

Kynslee Wilson recorded 23 assists to direct a balanced offensive attack for the Lancers in a 25-21, 25-20, 25-13 victory. Four Amherst players posted five or more kills, led by seven from Kamdyn Carwile and six apiece from Emma Beam and Ania Thompson. Clair Meeks added five kills and six aces for the Lancers, and Anni Villain had three aces.

Zollman paced the Blues with eight kills, four aces and six digs. Catlett totaled 13 assists and two aces, while Cullen notched three kills, 11 digs and a pair of aces. Slagle also finished with three kills, and Camden recorded five digs.

Although PM, a smaller Class 1 school, lost in straight sets, Hall thought her team performed well against a quality Class 3 program. The Lancers would improve to 8-3 overall later in the week with a 3-0 Seminole District victory over Heritage.

“Amherst is a great team, and we played very well against them, even though we had our little funks,” Hall said. “Overall, I’m proud of how we played. I think we were scrappy… and we did a lot of things right.”

PM 2-3 At Tourney

The Blues then went 2-3 in a string of best-of-three matches at a tournament hosted by James River on Saturday.

PM defeated Heritage twice. In a 25-19, 25-22 victory in the first meeting, Cullen had 18 digs and four aces, while Catlett registered seven kills.

The Blues then recorded a 2725, 22-25, 15-12 win over the Pioneers. Zollman led the way with 10 kills, while Marina Ramsburg had 11 assists and Bryleigh Tobias notched four aces.

Bath County defeated PM 2624, 25-2 in a nondistrict matchup of Pioneer District rivals. Zollman had five kills, Cullen totaled 14 digs and Catlett posted nine assists.

Alleghany, another Class 3 contender, knocked off the Blues 25-18, 25-9. Cullen had 11 digs in the game, and Zollman chipped in four kills.

Last, Franklin County bested PM 25-15, 25-20. Camden contributed eight digs in the match, while Cullen and Zollman each dished out four aces.

Between collecting two district wins and having the chance to test themselves against some high-level competition, last week may prove quite important in the long run for the Blues.

“This was a really great week for us,” Hall said. “It was very fun and very productive.”

PM was slated to take on Nelson County at home on Monday. The Blues will resume Pioneer District play at Eastern Montgomery next Tuesday, beginning with the junior varsity match at 5:30 p.m.