In recent years, Howard County volleyball teams have not fared particularly well in the state tournament.
In 2010, Centennial lost in five sets after leading 2-0. River Hill in the 2008 state semifinals and Reservoir in the 2006 state championship match suffered the same fate.
But River Hill's five-set loss to North Hagerstown, 20-25, 25-22, 25-14, 23-25, 11-15, in the 3A state championship match Saturday night at the University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum was different from those tales of heartbreak.
In short, the Hawks were not heartbroken.
"What can you say? It was a great match, I'm sorry that it didn't go our way, but I'm … proud of my kids, they worked hard," River Hill coach Lynn Paynter said. "
Whereas hot tears trailed down the faces of Howard County's recent hard luck stories, the Hawks were able to laugh and smile shortly after their loss.
"I don't think there was much more that we could have done, we tried our best," said senior Marta Roman, who was on the bench for River Hill's 2008 state semifinal loss. "Any points that we made mistakes on, I feel like we did a good job keeping positive and getting the next point in and keeping the energy and having fun."
Junior Cassidy Davis, one of only two non-seniors to start for the Hawks, along with sophomore libero Sydni Horner, agreed.
"Even though it didn't go our way, it was the best game of the season," she said. "We all played really well and it was really fun to play."
"It was like, you killed it? OK, I'm going to kill it. Block? Here's a block," said Wiswell, who transferred to River Hill from southern California this fall. "It was fun going back and forth. I love playing against good middles."
Coming into its state semifinal match with LaPlata Thursday night at the University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum, River Hill had yet to play in a fifth-set tiebreaker this season.
But after winning the match, 22-25, 30-28, 25-12, 21-25, 15-2, the Hawks looked as if they had been there before.
"We were down to one game from not being there on Saturday" for the state championship match, coach Lynn Paynter said. "They wanted to win and they did, and I'm really proud of how (they) finished out the match."
It was the first loss of the season for LaPlata (18-1), which had already played in two five-set matches.
LaPlata was on the verge of building a nearly insurmountable advantage when it led, 23-21, in the second set when River Hill senior Kristin Lee (11 kills, 19 digs) recorded three kills in a four-point span to get her team back in the match. The two teams then battled back and forth until senior Amber Wiswell (13 kills, three blocks) closed out the victory with a kill and a block.
In the third set, River Hill (18-1) jumped to an 11-4 lead and never wavered. LaPlata never trailed in the fourth set, but a service run by Caitlin Davis to start the fifth set established the tone for the tiebreaker. The senior setter recorded four aces in that run, and by the time she finally stepped away from the baseline, her team was ahead, 9-0.
"I just tried to keep serving the ball in and to generally the same area because I knew that once you shank a couple you start to get nervous," said Caitlin Davis, who finished with 35 assists, 17 digs and six aces.
This year's River Hill volleyball team is lacking one thing: a clear-cut, star player. But what the Hawks lack in starpower, they make up for with balance.
"We have a well rounded team, and I think that makes the big difference," coach Lynn Paynter said. "They're playing well together and they enjoy each other's company and I think we can go all the way."
River Hill (17-1) took one step closer to its first state title Friday night, sweeping visiting Reservoir, 3-0, in the 3A East regional championship match. The Hawks will now face 3A South champion LaPlata (18-0) in the state semifinals, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. at the University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum.
Another senior, Amber Wiswell, is getting her first taste of team success after moving from Southern California to Maryland this summer. "I'm ecstatic, this wouldn't have happened in California," Wiswell said. "The reason we're successful is because we push so hard in practice and we always have a goal in mind. None of our (volleyball) teams have gotten a state banner up there yet, so we want to be the first ones."
Lee led River Hill with 17 kills in only 22 attempts Friday night, while Wiswell (8) and junior Cassidy Davis (6) combined for 14 more. Roman led the defense with 12 digs, while Caitlin Davis had eight digs to go along with her 28 assists.
The 3A East regional semifinal match between Centennial and River Hill Wednesday night may have generated more hype harkening back to last year's epic battle, if not for the vast differences between the teams' 2010 and 2011 rosters.
Gone are Centennial's Liz Brown and Sam Brostroml, and River Hill's Sarah Okey, Megan Rosburg and Melody Nazari. All five of those players were named first team all-county. What River Hill does have going for it this year, though, is a trio of Davis'.
The Hawks defeated Centennial, 25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 25-12, at River Hill Wednesday night as Cassidy Davis, a junior middle hitter, Caitlin Davis, a senior setter, and Kelly Davis, a senior outside hitter, led the way to victory.
"Its been really fun. I kind of describe us as a mini team inside our own team because there's a rotation where we all three play front row," said Cassidy Davis, who had 13 digs and six kills. "It's really fun to have my sisters to go home and talk about the game and talk strategy with because we all play different positions, there's really no competition, it's just all positive."
Amber Wiswell led the Hawks with 16 kills and Kristin Lee had 10 kills and 12 digs. Sydni Horner (15 digs) and Marta Roman (11 digs) also helped River Hill to a strong defensive performance.
River Hill allowed only three aces in the match.
"It was an old Centennial-River Hill match," River Hill coach Lynn Paynter said. "They're relentless, they always come back."
After the final point was scored in last fall’s marathon five-set match against perennial power Centennial, tears overtook River Hill hitter Marta Roman’s face. It took 48 points to decide that final set of the Maryland 3A East region championship game.
And although the first three sets of Wednesday’s closely played rematch between the teams — this time in the region semifinal — seemed reminiscent of last year’s matchup, it was Roman and the third-ranked Hawks who topped Centennial, 25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 25-12.
“It feels great to be on top and finally win because we deserved it,” said Roman, a senior who finished with seven digs and two kills. “We played hard.”
Added senior Caitlin Davis, who finished with 14 digs: “It was so great to beat them because they’ve been a really tough match and just the name has been a mental challenge to overcome.”
With only one week left in the Howard County volleyball regular season, River Hill is the last remaining undefeated team at 11-0. And if the Hawks' performance at last weekend's Gator Invitational is any indication, they'll have little trouble wrapping up a 13-0 season and the county title.
The Hawks defeated St. Paul's School for Girls Saturday at Reservoir, 25-11, 25-22, to defend their championship at the second annual Gator Invitational.
"Our team did a really good job of not getting down when the other teams were ahead and we just played our game," said setter Caitlin Davis. "We've done a really good job of staying together as a team."
River Hill middle hitter Amber Wiswell, a senior transfer from Southern California, shared co-tournament MVP honors with Reservoir middle hitter Kelsea Belt.
Fifth-ranked River Hill continued its unbeaten season Saturday by defending its tournament title at the second-annual Gator Invitational Volleyball Tournament at Reservoir.
The tournament featured seven teams (Towson, Broadneck, River Hill, St. Paul’s, Mount de Sales, Severna Park, and Reservoir) in The Sun’s top 15. Centennial, Good Counsel, and Northern of Calvert County also participated.
After pool play ended, Reservoir, Centennial, River Hill and St. Paul’s advanced to the semifinals. The Hawks defeated Reservoir, 25-21 and 25-22 to claim a spot in the finals, while St. Paul’s upset last year’s state Class 3A semifinalist Centennial in a three-set thriller, 22-25, 28-26, 16-14 to claim the other spot.
River Hill used its height advantage to take down a scrappy St. Paul’s team, 25-16, 25-22, in the finals.
River Hill’s Amber Wiswell and Reservoir’s Kelsea Belt were named co-Most Valuable Players of the tournament.
Centennial's Trisha Mockapetris, left, hits the ball while River Hill's Caitlin Davis, center, and Cassidy Davis go up to attempt a block. Behind them, River Hill's Marta Roman and Libero Sydni Horner are ready for the dig. (Staff photo by Jen Rynda, Patuxent Publishing / October 16, 2011)The annual Centennial-River Hill volleyball match is one of those rivalries where the records just don't matter.
But more often than not, the two teams' records include a lot of wins. This year was no exception, with River Hill entering the match at 9-0 and Centennial at 7-2.
After Tuesday night's clash in Clarksville, River Hill is now 10-0, and Centennial is 7-3.
The Hawks defeated the Eagles, 25-11, 25-21, 21-25, 25-19.
"The second game, neither team was very good. Centennial played better than we did," said Lynn Paynter, coach of the undefeated Hawks, with a laugh. Centennial coach "Larry (Schofield) made some nice adjustments that affected our hitting, they were picking up more balls in the back court … and just played better than we did in the second game. The third game was pretty even and the fourth game we were back in charge."
River Hill has been boosted this season by the arrival of middle hitter Amber Wiswell, a transfer student from California. But the Hawks have also thrived on a solid foundation of experienced players.
Wiswell led the Hawks with 15 kills and five blocks on Tuesday, but senior Kristin Lee recorded an impressive 13 kills, 13 digs and four aces.
Tuesday night may have been Amber Wiswell's first volleyball game in a River Hill uniform, but it sure as heck wasn't her first volleyball game.
The 6-foot-2 senior, who played for Newbury Park High — about one hour west of Los Angeles — last year, recorded eight kills and five blocks in a three-game sweep of visiting Mt. Hebron (25-15, 25-14, 25-12).
"She hits well, she's adapted to all of the girls. She's just a good kid and it's been fun having her," coach Lynn Paynter said. "She's very comfortable with the game and that's what's fun to see. So we can roll with her this year as a group.
California transfer Wiswell helps River Hill sweep past Mount Hebron
6-foot-2 player contributes eight kills and five blocks
High school sports are sometimes a funny thing. Sometimes opportunity lies at your feet. Other times, it walks right through the front door.
River Hill girls volleyball coach Lynn Paynter figured this year might be one for rebuilding. She had lost an All-Metro second-team hitter in Megan Rosburg and a Howard County All-Star in Sarah Okey. Then, on Aug. 12, senior Amber Wiswell walked into the team's first practice. Wiswell grew up in Ventura, Calif., where volleyball is king.
| School | Howard | 3A |
|---|---|---|
| River Hill 3A | 13-0 | 13-0 |
| Centennial 3A | 10-3 | 10-4 |
| Reservoir 3A | 10-3 | 10-4 |
| Atholton 3A | 9-4 | 10-4 |
| Mt Hebron 3A | 7-6 | 7-6 |
| Howard 3A | 4-9 | 4-9 |
| Wilde Lake 3A | 3-10 | 4-11 |
| Hammond 3A | 2-11 | 4-11 |
| Glenelg 2A | 11-2 | 11-2 |
| Marriotts Ridge 2A | 7-6 | 8-6 |
| Long Reach 2A | 2-11 | 2-11 |
| Oakland Mills 2A | 0-13 | 0-13 |
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