Springs Valley Community High School

On Tuesday, the Springs Valley volleyball team tried to do something it hadn’t done in at least 15 years — beat Barr-Reeve. It’s a task that’s easily said, but rarely done as the Vikings have built one of the top programs in the state regardless of size, working all the way up to Class 3A competition despite having the enrollment numbers of a Class 1A school. A slow start doomed the Blackhawks in the first set, but from that point on they were in lockstep with Barr-Reeve, battling point-for-point through the next three sets before ultimately falling 25-18, 24-26, 26-24, 25-23. “I was pleased with the effort the girls displayed tonight. We did get off to a slow start, but after battling back from a big deficit I felt we competed the rest of the match,” Springs Valley coach Erin Carnes said. “It was a tough ball game and could have gone either way.” In the opening set, Springs Valley learned its lesson the hard way. The Blackhawks weren’t on the ball from the opening serve and because of that, Barr-Reeve was able to gain the upper hand. It’s the sort of thing you can’t afford to have happen against elite competition. “We got out to a slow start and we allowed them to push too many points in a row. Against good teams, you can’t allow either of those things to happen if you want to be successful,” Carnes said. “Once our kids got settled and into a rhythm, I thought we were right with them point for point.” Everything following that first set was promising for Springs Valley. They were every bit Barr-Reeve’s equal in the second, third, and fourth sets and the scores reflected that. The higher level of competition brought out the best in the Blackhawks and they showed exactly what they’re capable of, much like they did earlier in the year when challenged with Class 3A Edgewood. “Even though the outcome wasn’t what we wanted, I think it’s apparent what this team is capable of when they decide it's time to go,” Carnes said. “We have the capability to compete with anyone on any given night. The X-factor will be what we decide to do with each opportunity that we’re given.” The Springs Valley attack was more or less a two-pronged one against the Vikings, as Leigh and Maddie Carnes were major players in that regard. Not only were they Springs Valley’s most-used hitters — taking 53 and 44 swings respectively — they were also Springs Valley’s most efficient hitters by some margin. Maddie’s 18 kills gave her a team-best hitting efficiency of 0.273 and Leigh’s 16 put her at 0.245. The duo also combined for 45 assists, 22 digs and five aces, splitting two of those categories nearly half and half. Their efforts up front were supported by strong play from Molly Tucker and Tynley Kluesner in the back row. Defensively they each had 17 digs and they were also crucial on serve receive. Barr-Reeve served at Tucker 31 times and Kluesner 26, but combined they made just seven errors and regularly produced passes that allowed the ‘Hawks to run anything they pleased offensively. “I thought those two did an amazing job in the backcourt. Even more than their defense, I thought they passed the ball very well. Barr-Reeve had tough servers and they honed in on those two all night. Molly and Tynley just kept passing dimes and kept us in system,” Erin Carnes said. “I also felt that Leigh and Maddie had big games where their play almost mimicked each other to a T in the stats. Offensively they were hard to stop.” Springs Valley (13-3, 2-0 PLAC) saw an 11-game winning streak come to an end with the defeat, but managed to gain some valuable experience against one of the best teams in the state. The Blackhawks will try to build on that on Monday as they hit the road to take on Orange County rival Orleans. “Regardless of who we're playing, our goal is to play with maximum effort. I thought our kids did that tonight. It wasn't perfect and we made errors, but we had a chance to win and that's all I can ask of the kids,” Erin Carnes said. “To go head-to-head with the number 3 team in Class 3A and almost push them to a fifth set makes me happy. We still have improvements to be made in the coming weeks, but we’re heading in the right direction and I love what I see. We have girls who play with passion and a team full of girls who hate to lose. That will help us when it matters.” BARR-REEVE 3, SPRINGS VALLEY 1 Springs Valley 18 26 24 23 — 1 Barr-Reeve 25 24 26 25 — 3 Springs Valley: Maddie Carnes 18 kills, 22 assists, 11 digs, 1 ace, 4 blocks; Leigh Carnes 18 kills, 23 assists, 11 digs, 4 aces, 1 block; Bella Nottger 6 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces; Alayna Denbo 3 kills, 4 blocks; Brynne Buchanan 3 kills, 7 digs, 1 ace; Tynley Kluesner 2 kills, 17 digs, 1 ace; Molly Tucker 17 digs.