Loudoun County guards its turf

Raiders dig in to retain a share of district volleyball title

In their first three years at Loudoun County, seniors Julianne Hanna and Robin Marsala were part of three Dulles District championship teams. That string of dominance bred a feeling of ownership that the Lady Raiders were not willing to give up.

But after losing to Broad Run midway through the regular season, the No. 4 Raiders found themselves in need of a win Thursday night at Broad Run in Ashburn to retain a share of the league crown.

Riding an emotional boost on senior night, the Broad Run Spartans blitzed their opponents in the opening set, as senior libero Lizzie Deane reeled off seven straight service points to start the match and Broad Run cruised to an 11-point win in the first game.

But the veteran Raiders battled back, taking the second set, digging out a narrow victory in a back-and-forth third game and pulling away to win the match in the fourth and earn a share of the regular season title, 14-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19.

"We wanted to protect our title," setter Marsala said. "We all just wanted to win, and we came together as a team and built off of one another."

The Raiders (18-2) appeared rattled in the early going, committing hitting errors left and right that enabled their hosts to gain an insurmountable lead and take the first game. But Marsala's setting provided a calming influence in the second set, and her teammates regained the rhythm that led them to five straight 3-0 victories coming into the match. With the Raiders leading 18-11, the 5-foot-4 Marsala outjumped 6-foot Elisa Scudder of Broad Run for a winner at the net that fired up the Loudoun County bench.

Broad Run (13-5), which had won 11 of 12 coming into the match, battled back in a third set, during which neither team led by more than four points. Junior Emily Sears had four thunderous kills, and Carolyn Pearce's winner knotted the score at 20. But Marsala assisted on kills by sophomore Jenna Strange and Hanna in the final few points as the Raiders had a 2-1 advantage.

The fourth game featured more of the same. Hanna, who struggled mightily in the teams' first meeting Oct. 6, came through with five of her 13 kills of the night, including the final point of the match on Marsala's 33rd assist.

"They played really well and beat us the first time, but we wanted to take it back tonight," Hanna said. "We had to focus on what we could control after they won the first game -- go back to basics and play the way we know we're capable of playing."

In accordance with Dulles District policy, the teams will share the regular season title, but they were to meet for a third time at noon Saturday at Briar Woods to decide the automatic Region II playoff berth. After beating Heritage in a similar one-game playoff last season, the Raiders might have had the edge going in.

"We want the first region berth really bad," Loudoun County Coach Jenica Matthias said. "It gives you an easier ride to the final. But we're going to have to come out with the same kind of intensity on Saturday or that won't happen."

In Thursday's match, Broad Run was led by senior outside hitter Elisa Scudder's nine kills and three blocks. Sears added 10 kills, and Pearce finished with 21 assists. The regular-season title is the first for the Spartans since 1991, when Coach Ellen Roberts was on the floor instead of the sideline.

"The girls are really excited to get that recognition," Roberts said. "I know the feeling from playing on the '91 team, and it's big for us to get another number up on our banner. But now we've got to turn around and be ready to play them again."

If the teams meet again in this week's district tournament final -- as expected -- both will qualify for the Region II tournament. And although both coaches said they would rather not see the other team a fifth time, Mathias recognized that it could be in the cards.

"With the makeup of our region, we're going to be the two best teams in there," she said. "It speaks to the strength of our district, but we would rather not see them again in the region final."