MORGANTOWN — When Nick Lusk took the University volleyball coaching job two years ago, one of the first ideas he had after looking at his sophomore class was to get as much varsity playing time for them as possible.
And now, those young, inexperienced players are the Hawks’ senior leaders, and their talent and maturity were on full display last night as they turned in a dominating performance in their home tri-match with Linsly and Preston, dispatching the Cadets 2-0 (25-13, 25-12) and the Knights 2-0 (25-6, 25-10).
For the 12-1 Hawks, the feeling in the UHS gym is that this team can go a long, long way, and the way they handled their business Tuesday night impressed Lusk.
“It was a very mature performance,” he explained. “We played a total match against both teams, didn’t let up or get sloppy. The confidence was evident, and when we play set and swing like we did tonight, we are definitely a very tough team to play against. We have such great senior hitters in Caroline Adams, Kate Williams, and Addison Kitzmiller, plus a great senior setter in Natalie Voithofer, all of whom have been playing varsity together for three years, as has our senior back line of Avery Reed, Katie Pilgrim, and Allie Kinsley. So, they know each other’s tendencies very well, for sure.
“But the best part for me as their coach,” he smiled, “is the way they stay together and support each other. They are a close-knit group, and they challenge each other and hold each other accountable, so I don’t see overconfidence ever being an issue.”
When asked what challenges his team will face – other than the defending state champions who play across town – Lusk suggested that, “maybe we need to remember to move past little mistakes quicker. Nobody wants to make the mistake that lets their teammates down, and sometimes that can make a team play too tight. If we just go out there, have fun, and let our natural talent and experience play out, we’ll continue to be the team we want to be.”
In what was the closest match of the evening, Linsly prevailed in the third set to defeat Preston, 2-1 (25-22, 23-25, 15-10), and Knights head coach Jill Huggins was quick to point out a reason her 4-6 team has been so up and down so far this season.
“We’re young and inexperienced,” she smiled. “I have three freshmen starting on varsity, and deservedly so. They’ve got a ton of talent, but we are still learning how to stay in the moment and play every point. When we are up, the confidence flows, and we play great, but if the momentum starts to shift, we have trouble focusing to win the next point.
“We were up big in the first set against Linsly,” she continued, “but let it slip away, had to come back after building a lead in set two, and couldn’t finish in set three. There’s inconsistency there that comes with young players. We were outstanding last night against Lincoln and Fairmont Senior, but we couldn’t maintain that level tonight.”
But rather than dwell on non-success, Huggins is characteristically optimistic about her team.
“The girls like each other, and we are being led by younger girls, which is great for the future,” she grinned. “I think we’ll continue to grow because they really have no concept of how good they are, and how good they can be.”
The Knights host their own tri-match with Buckhannon-Upshur and Liberty tonight, while the Hawks travel to Wheeling Park tonight.
BY MARK SCHRAF/For The Dominion Post
BOYS SOCCER
Linsly 2, Trinity Christian 0
WHEELING — Trinity Christian went on the road Tuesday night, falling to Linsly, 2-0, in a matchup between the last two 1A-3A OVAC champions.
The Cadets (2-0-2) took a 1-0 lead in the first half on a goal by Javier Vizuete. The Warriors (3-2) nearly tied the game on a shot by Evan Knight late in the 2nd half but the Linsly goalkeeper stood tall to keep the game 1-0.
Linsly’s Arthur Moreira made the score 2-0 with 30 seconds to play in the game, beating Parker Hopkins to the top corner. Hopkins made 17 saves for the Warriors.
Trinity returns to action on Saturday for a home game against Lincoln at 4 p.m.
