Leesville Road finishes regular-season volleyball with victory over Enloe
The Leesville Road volleyball team (16-2, 12-2) capped a strong season with a three-set victory at Cap-8 foe Enloe.
Although the Pride didn’t look at sharp as they have en route to a second-place league finish, they were in command for much of the night, winning the sets 25-16, 25-20 and 25-18.
For Enloe (7-14, 2-12), the loss marked the end of a season and the upcoming graduation of many of its key players.
“The girls – even though the outcome wasn’t good – they played hard,” said Enloe coach Shammara Jones. “They didn’t give up.”
They said it
“It gives us a little bit of a better record for seeding purposes, however it wasn’t our cleanest match,” said Leesville coach Erin Hensler. “It was last game of the season. It was a Monday match, and we didn’t practice Friday because of the early release day. First weekend of the state fair. There could be tons of things going on in these girls’ heads.”
Turning point
The Pride took the first set without too much trouble, but the second set had more of a back-and-forth tug. With the set tied 12-12, Leesville then won 10 of the next 13 points, despite two Enloe timeouts trying to slow the momentum. The Pride took the second set and a commanding two-set lead.
Three who mattered
Meghan Gasper, Leesville: Hensler called Gasper an invaluable leader on the team. The setter was seemingly involved in every play, giving her teammates easy balls to kill. Occasionally, Gasper faked the set and shrewdly flicked the ball over the net for a kill. During the third set, Gasper regrouped her team after a run by Enloe, told her teammates, “We’re fine! We’re fine!” and backed up her words by perfectly setting a ball for a kill on the next point.
Alia Cousar, Enloe: The senior southpaw played a similar role as Gasper except it was for the Eagles. Cousar was involved in nearly every play as her team’s setter. Midway through the second set, Cousar deked the Leesville defense with a fake set and instead tapped the ball over with some pace for the unusual kill.
“Her sets were like on point tonight,” Jones said. “I don’t know what it was, but it could’ve been a bad pass, but she was still setting really good.”
Hannah Burchfield, Leesville: Though Burchfield didn’t have an exceptional night, she made a few plays that the Pride will need come playoff time. Burchfield is perhaps the tallest player on a team without a lot of height, and she showed that with a big kill and a big block in the third set.
Looking ahead
Although brackets aren’t finalized, Leesville is looking forward to the playoffs.
“I feel good,” Hensler said. “I feel confident. The girls are excited. We’re excited about the playoffs, and we’re really excited about our final push to see how far we can get.”
As a conference opponent who’s seen the Pride up close, Jones offered some thoughts on Leesville’s chances.
“They’re a good team,” she said. “They’re very disciplined. They see the court well. If they continue to play smart and together, they have a very good chance.”
This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 7:44 PM with the headline "Leesville Road finishes regular-season volleyball with victory over Enloe."