The William Byrd girls will host Abingdon tonight after picking up their first win of the season Tuesday night. The girls beat Cave Spring in straight sets in Vinton.
After opening with two state contenders, Hidden Valley and Glenvar, the Terriers were anxious to get back on the court Tuesday against the Knights, once the top dog in the Roanoke Valley. Byrd jumped out to a 25-17 win in the first set, then took the second 25-21. The third set went down to the wire but Byrd won 26-24 to send a big crowd home early with a well-earned victory.
Junior outside hitter Terran Brown had a big night with 11 kills and 11 digs. Setter Carsyn Kotz added 21 assists while Ava Ashworth had three aces and Raelyn Lancaster added two. Defensively, Ella Ashworth and Emily Tuck had 12 digs each for the Terriers.
Last Thursday, the Lady Terriers faced defending Class 2 state champion Glenvar. The Highlanders lost just one girl from their 2021 state championship team and they haven’t lost a set so far this season, including straight set wins over Byrd and Northside of the Class 3 Blue Ridge and Class 4 Blacksburg.
Byrd battled the Highlanders but the visitors were just too strong as they took a 25-7, 25-14 and 25-11 win. Ashworth and Payton Hall had two aces each while Brown put down four kills and Alexis Helton added three. Kotz dished out five assists and Kate Bryant added four. Defensively, Ashworth had 15 digs on the night.
Tonight’s match is the fourth straight at home to open the season. The Byrd girls will play on the road for the first time next Tuesday, September 6, when they return the trip to Glenvar.
