The tide of county volleyball supremacy is certainly cyclical as Severna Park has been on top for the past two years. The cycle has shifted this season.
After Arundel swept the Falcons on Thursday, South River sits on top at 8-0 with six matches left in the regular season. The Wildcats are 8-1, with games against South River and third place Broadneck, now 5-2, on the horizon.
Arundel went into Severna Park and took the Falcons in three, 25-11, 25-20, 25-17 Thursday. The Wildcats face the Seahawks on Oct. 17 and follow with the Bruins a week later.
"This has been something we have been working toward all season," Arundel coach Ashley Yuscavage said. "We've been trying to put together a couple of little pieces in practice and a lot of those pieces clicked in place. I was excited that they did in this match."
Arundel, behind Mackenzie Meehan's seven kills and four blocks, along with Alicia Eldredge's six kills and 15 assists, dismantled last year's Class 4A East Region champion. Chyna Gubbings got things going after a deadlock at 3 with seven service points and Taylor Wigglesworth finished with another eight to easily walk away in the first set.
Defensively, the Wildcats threw Meehan, Gubbings, Wigglesworth and Kiera Holtzclaw at the Severna Park hitters and the blocking results were apparent. The Falcons were on their heels during the first set, but adjusted in the second to make the match interesting. The set was tied for the eighth time at 12 before Holtzclaw put the Wildcats up for good at 15-12. Holtzclaw iced the set, with the help of a Meehan kill to stake Arundel to a 2-0 advantage.
"Our block has been a huge wrinkle that has come together very well for us. It was exciting to see that whatever we worked on in practice came out tonight," Yuscavage said. "We have four juniors that have been with us since they were freshmen and worked through an off period in the program.
Holtzclaw broke a 5-5 draw in the third set and Sydney Sheppard extended the lead with five service points to make it 12-7. Meehan finished off the match with a kill off a Sheppard serve to give Arundel its first win over Severna Park in three years.
Gubbings, a junior, has been a dominant factor throughout the year for the Wildcats. On varsity since entering high school, she has bided her time and has increased her skills to become a quiet leader.
"It has all been a team effort. It's really been everyone combined — the coaches, the players, the parents," Gubbings said. "Our coaches have really prepared us over the years for this. It feels so good to finally get a victory because we haven't won against them in three years. So it's really just the team coming together and working as a unit. It's really great teamwork."
Yuscavage has seen Gubbings mature as a player and the results have been noticeable.
"She's always been a good player and she is really just getting more and more comfortable with herself, and you can tell out there," Yuscavage said. "Her defense was phenomenal tonight and her serving was consistent. Plus she's pretty powerful as a hitter. It's exciting to watch her get more comfortable every match."
Severna Park coach Tim Dunbar was not surprised with Arundel's strategy and the team that the Wildcats put on the floor.
"They have two All-County middles. They are so strong. They have a great setter plus the two great middles. Plus their outsides are nothing to sneeze at," Dunbar said. "It's hard to find weaknesses in the players they put on the court. They put us on our heels a little bit with their attack. We worked all week on finding ways to split their block or hit around it and find holes, but once that block is up it's tough to play offense against it."
Ally Winship finished with 10 digs and two kills, while Angela Cottrell had four kills, three digs and an ace. Gracie O'Connor ended with 10 digs and Emily Krasic added four digs, two kills and a block for the Falcons, who have dropped three straight after starting 4-0. Severna Park still has to play Broadneck on Oct. 17, followed by South River a week later.