Dover Volleyball wins 3-1 at Pawling
By John M. Benson
October 16, 2007
Dover and Pawling staged a classic, exciting battle on the volleyball court on October 16, with the Dragons prevailing in the fourth game that went out to 29-27 when Taqiyya Averhart closed it out for Dover.
The final play was exquisite volleyball by the Dragons, with the pass from Julia Chopay, the perfect set right at the net by Sarah DeVries, and the kill driven into the floor by Averhart.
The leap by Averhart into the sky for this final kill seemed to last several minutes, as she hung in the air, eyes wide in anticipation of the drive on the ball that would give her Dragons the victory, before she drove her hand down over the ball and sent the indefensible shot crashing into the Pawling gym floor.
Dover defeated Pawling 25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 29-27.
Both Pawling and Dover are outstanding volleyball teams, well coached and well disciplined by Dover coach Jen Fisher and Pawling coach Susan Tuthill.
Coach Jen Fisher said after the match, “We were fired up for the Pawling game yesterday. The girls came out a bit flat after the wait to start the game, but really fed off of the crowd's energy. It is always nice to get a win at Pawling, with the rivalry that we have. No time to rest, though--we see them again at our place on Monday, which will also be our senior day. Our passing really came together as the game went on, and that was the difference for us. If we gave them the opportunity to formulate an attack, we had a hard time getting it back at them. Once we got our attack going, we made it really difficult on them to organize their offense. That is when we're at our best--when our attack is on.
And the attack was definitely on against Pawling, with DeVries racking up a phenomenal 31 assists, Averhart firing off 14 kills, and Chopay pounding down 12 kills of her own of the DeVries sets.
Katie Infantino was nearly perfect from the service line, earning 21 crucial service points for the Dragons.
Everyone on this team contributes on defense, and the entire team is constantly into the game whether they are in the game on cheering form the bench.
The full roster includes Taqiyya Averhart, Sarah DeVries, Julia Chopay, Shevon Allen, Katie Infantino, Aislynn Merling, Isabella Robisheaux, Tashawna Averhart, Cody Anderson, Shannon Slater and Meaghan Somers. |
