Back-to-back city champions
Red Riders bounce back, conclude regular season with win over Blue Dons
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WEIRTON -- It would have been easy for the Weir High
volleyball team to think Madonna could not compete with it for the city championship on Thursday.
After all, the Blue Dons only had two practices to prepare for it and have not played in a game for more than two weeks. A Madonna player tested positive for COVID-19 a few weeks back, so the team had to quarantine.
Following the first set, it appeared as though the Red Riders easily would win their second consecutive title. Madonna, though, had another thing coming and took the next two sets.
“I told (my team) that, for the city championship, they’re going to come out and play no matter what, whether they’ve played all season or only two days,” Weir High head coach Fran Capaldi said. “I knew they were going to come out firing. They wanted this game just as bad as we did.
“I just preached a lot to them about mental toughness, and it all came down to them being mentally tough and knowing they can win this game because they’ve done it before. We’ve been preaching defense, too. They came together as a team, and that’s what we wanted.”
The Red Riders were able to bounce back and defeat their arch rivals, 25-16, 23-25, 24-26, 25-17, 15-9.
“I’m super excited, especially because I’m a senior. I loved getting through it with my best friend, Leah (Maley). All of the girls put in the hard work, and it’s just super exciting,” Weir High senior Blaire McUmar said.
“I’m actually really good friends with one of the girls for Madonna. Talking with her, she said they only practiced for two days this week. I said, ‘Well, we can definitely come out stronger than them because we’ve practiced all week.’ But, they came out just as strong as us. We had to push even harder.”
Thursday also marked the regular season finale for both squads. Weir High concludes at 7-17, twice beating Madonna. It also bested the Blue Dons on Sept. 15 after trailing 2-0.
“I told them that it’s a disappointing loss, but I also reminded them that we were quarantined,” Madonna coach Theresa Moore said. “I’m proud of them because you couldn’t tell we’ve been in quarantine by watching them. I’m proud of them for that.
“I am surprised by how we played. I didn’t expect us to play this well after being in quarantine.”
The Red Riders jumped out to a big, early advantage in the fifth set before Madonna came back and trailed, 10-9. That’s when Capaldi called a timeout to remind her team what the game meant. Weir High then scored five straight points to conclude the night.
“When we play a team like Weir, emotions are high because they are our rivals. When emotions are high, anything can go at any moment,” Moore said. “I think both (games), what ended up happening was we got down on ourselves, and it ended in their favor.”
Ziona Barnes led the Red Riders with 15 kills, four aces and one block. As the season progressed, the junior kept improving after every game.
“She gets down a lot when she’s not hitting like she knows she can. As long as we’re there to keep her up, she’s up most of the times,” McUmar said. “She’s gotten a lot better this year, and I’m excited to see what comes to her next year.”
McUmar finished with 12 kills, two aces, a block and one dig. Maley produced three aces, two assists, seven kills, four blocks and two digs. Chesney Tice added 29 assists, a pair of aces, three kills and two digs.
“Everyone played a part in this win, and that’s what we wanted the most,” Capaldi said. “I don’t want just one person to stick out. I like it better when we play together, and they play better that way.
“We’re finding our flow. Our mindsets have been a lot better. We know what it takes to win, and they have to know that they can do it.”
For the Blue Dons (6-8), Landry Bone had eight kills, 11 blocks and one dig. Morgan Owens contributed 19 assists, three digs and two blocks. Nina Daugherty had eight aces, while Marianna Martinez added nine kills.
UP NEXT
Madonna: Begins its portion of the Class A sectional tournament on Tuesday at Magnolia.
“I don’t think quarantining set us back too far. We have a couple more practices before we start,” Moore said. “I’m glad we had this game before sectionals, a tight five-set match.”
Weir High: Will participate as the No. 3 seed in the sectionals Saturday at Oak Glen. It opens at 1 p.m. against East Fairmont.