Looking at the score of their match at Centennial Thursday evening, one might guess that Reservoir is having a down year.
Centennial defeated Reservoir in straight sets, 25-15, 25-15, 31-29.
In fact, the Gators (10-3) have been having a great season. They just ran into a buzzsaw on Thursday night.
"I've never used that line-up before, that was my senior line-up," said coach Larry Schofield, whose team was celebrating its senior night. Assistant coach "Erika (Swan) and I looked at each other and said, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' "
Centennial did not trail in the match until midway through the third set, and Reservoir scored more than two points in a row only once prior to the third set.
"We fought for every point and we earned every point," junior captain Trisha Mockapetris said. "We were really motivated tonight on our senior night … it's emotional and we had to protect our court, nothing was going to drop."
Mockapetris led Centennial with 13 kills. Senior Cici White-Torruellas tallied 11 kills and 14 digs.
Centennial had lost to Atholton and Glenelg earlier this season, and Reservoir beat both of those teams. After Thursday night, though, Centennial has swept Reservoir in the season series.
The Gators were led by their pair of dynamic middles, Aly Haslam (8 kills, 3 point blocks) and Kelsea Belt (10 kills).
"We just didn't make the adjustments that needed to be made, we just kept playing way too deep. Once we started playing and getting into a rhythm we were doing great," Reservoir coach Carole Ferrante. "I've watched them play a couple of times, and that's probably the best game I've seen Centennial play all season."
Both teams were battling for the second-seed in the 3A East regional tournament. Undefeated River Hill, which will play Arundel at neutral-site Mt. Hebron on Wednesday for the District V title, is expected to earn the top seed.
Around the league
Atholton (9-4) defeated Howard (4-9), 25-18, 25-18, 25-17.
Amanda Goodspeed (9 kills), Natalie Alper (8), McKay Evans (6) and Jackie Palmer (6) led a balanced Raiders offense. Vashti Burke and McKay Evans each served four aces and Naomi Burke had 22 assists.
Glenelg (11-2) defeated Marriotts Ridge (7-6) in a five-set thriller, 25-27, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 16-14.
Wilde Lake (3-10) ended its regular season on a win, topping Hammond (2-11), 3-1.
Mt. Hebron (7-6) defeated Oakland Mills (0-13), 25-10, 25-20, 25-6.