This past Wednesday the girls’ varsity volleyball team traveled to district opponent Manassas Park hoping to improve their 1-3 record. In the first game, Mason took an early 2-0 lead behind strong serving before turning the ball over. Kills were made by seniors Adrienne Thompson, Beth Parks, and Kendra Webb. Unfortunately, the girls slipped, losing 6-15, suffering from defensive breakdowns and poor ball handling, as the Cougars were able to retaliate and score their final 11 points after several runs. 

Game two featured a stalemate at 6-6 before Mason ran five straight points behind the serve of junior Aysha Twose and two each behind Webb and senior Christina Christianson. Regardless of poor serving for the remainder of the game, making only 20 of 28 total, the girls pulled ahead with the help of a block and key dig by Thompson, two kills from Parks, and four from Webb. The Cougars were not given the opportunity to put any more points on the board, and fell to the Mustangs 6-15.

The third and final game featured a strong and early run behind the serving of Manassas, as the Mason squad started slowly with lapses in their receive. Finding themselves down 0-8, Mason was aided with strong words by Coach Barbara Mahony, and proceeded to close to within 4 with the score 6-10. Manassas then jumped 14-6 but the Mustangs dug deep down and rallied to an astounding 13-14 in possibly the best volleyball the team had played all season. Contributions were made by kills from Webb, Thompson, Laura Straub, Parks, and rookie sophomore Sarah Snyder. The serving for the ‘Stangs was excellent, a nearly flawless 21 of 22, including seven straight points off of Straub. Unfortunately, the ball was turned over to the Cougars who were then able to squeak out with a win, 13-15, after an out-of-bounds pass by Mason. 

The varsity team will meet Strasburg for the second time of the season, hosting the Rams Tuesday night in hopes to avenge their first district loss. Starting time is expected to be around 7:30 and fans are encouraged to come and support the team.