By Randy Arrington
BERRYVILLE, Oct. 31 — The Luray volleyball team put up one its best efforts of the season in its final game on Tuesday night in a Region 2B quarterfinal at Clarke. The Bulldogs took the Eagles to four sets and made them claw for every point, but Luray eventually fell a third time this season to Clarke, 3-1. The Eagles (16-8) now advance to a Region 2B semifinal at Ft. Defiance on Thursday.
Clarke senior Anna Spencer lead the Eagles with 17 kills and two aces, while freshman Isabel Aliverto recorded 10 kills and sophomore Gracie Brown had eight. The Eagles split with the Bulldogs during the regular season, but Clarke has won the last three meetings — all at home — including a semifinal elimination of Luray in the Bull Run District tournament last week.
The Bulldogs end the season at a very respectable 14-9 in a tough district, only two wins away from punching a ticket to the Class 2 state tournament. Last week, the Bull Run announced that five of the team’s eight players had earned All-District honors, including three first team selections in senior Gracie Embrey, senior Summer Forder and junior Caydence Cave. Sophomore Reese Fitton and junior Avery Jewell earned second team All-District honors.
During Tuesday night’s region quarterfinal, Luray was fittingly lead by its powerful senior duo of Embry and Forder, who each recorded nine kills on the night. Embry also added three aces as well. Fitton has a solid outing with five kills and two aces.
The opening set on Tuesday night at Clarke had been tied 11 times when it reached 19-19. There were 11 lead changes, until the Eagles closed off the first set on a 6-0 run to win 25-19. At one point, Embry accounted for four straight points — two kills and two aces — that kept Luray in the set.
The second set was the only one of the region quarterfinal that didn’t remain close. Clarke took an 8-3 lead that quickly grew to a 20-13 lead and a 25-17 win. The Eagles were up 2-0 in the elimination match at home.
That’s when Luray began playing like it might be their final set of the season. The Bulldogs matched point-for-point with the home-standing Eagles in the third set, as the score was tied up at every point from 4 through 12, and again from point 14 through 16, and again at 19, and finally at 24-24. Luray closed out the final two points and took the third set, 26-24. Clarke’s Spencer had six kills in that one set and would account for seven points in the next.
The fourth and final set remained fairly close as well, all the way to 22-20. Clarke built that two-point margin into a four-point win and claimed the last set, 25-21.
While Luray’s numbers were small this season — eight on a roster that needs six on the court — they lived by the adage of “quality over quantity” and proved it when over 60 percent of the roster earned post-season accolades.
Losing Embry, Forder and Hazel Parlet to graduation will hurt, but this team has a strong core coming back in the fall of 2024 with Jewell, Fitton and Cave — all three All-District selections — returning as the senior leadership. In addition, there may be a few youngsters that make the transition to varsity quickly as Luray’s junior varsity volleyball squad won the Bull Run District championship last week.
For full schedules, rosters and standings — check out the Bull Run District website.
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