Eagles Vollleyball Flies By Windward For Win

The Brentwood School girls varsity volleyball team entered Thursday night’s match at Windward hoping to even its Alpha League record and deal the opposition its first home loss of the season.

The Eagles did just that, beating Windward in four sets and showing that they will not surrender their league title easily.

“This is a tough place to play," Brentwood Coach Jeff Porter said. "The crowd really gets into it, but I thought we did a great job of keeping our composure throughout the game and we played well."

Neither team was able to jump out to a big lead in the first set. The score stayed within a couple of points throughout until the Wildcats held two set points at 24-22. However, Brentwood buckled down to tie it 24-24, then saved one more set point before winning, 27-25.

“We had a slow start to the match," Porter said. "I don’t think our offense kicked in until halfway through the set. We have an experienced team and we came through and got that first set which was big."

Windward Coach Damon Van Leeuwen agreed that the first set was crucial for both teams.

“It was a tough one to lose," he said. "We were really close at the end and who knows what happens if we hold on there. But we didn’t and that’s why Brentwood is really good.”

Brentwood jumped to a 13-7 lead in the second set and extended it to 17-10 before the Wildcats started to creep back. Spurred on by the support of their home fans, they pulled even at 22-22 before Brentwood came through yet again, reeling off three straight points to win 25-22 and take a commanding two-sets-to-none lead.

In the third set, Windward took the early lead, 9-5, then extended its advantage to 16-10. However, the Eagles once again rallied, winning seven of the next eight points to tie it 17-17.

Thanks to star freshman Christina Cornelius, the Wildcats were able to make a late run and take the third set, 25-21, to keep their hopes of victory alive.

“That was a classic third set," Porter said. "You get a sense of comfort when you win the first two. They came out motivated and played well in the third set. We knew we were in for a battle.”

Much like most of the match, the fourth set went back and forth, with each side  enjoying small leads. It was tied 19-19 when Brentwood took control yet again.  Behind some great serving, the Eagles won four of the next five points to build a 23-20 lead. Windward won the next two, but Brentwood closed out the match, 25-22.

“Our blocking was the key tonight," Porter concluded. "Katie Russell had seven stuff blocks, which I’m pretty sure is a school record. That was really the key for us. It was great to see that productivity."

With the win, Brentwood improved to 12-4 overall and 1-1 in league. The Eagles travel to archrival Crossroads next Monday.