Suffolk News-Herald

The Andy family made life rough for Norview in volleyball on Tuesday afternoon at Nansemond River High School. After Shannon Andy, in her varsity debut, smashed over her second ace of the match to end the girls’ 25-14, 25-8, 25-20 victory, her older brother Jacob slammed home his third kill to complete his team’s 25-13, 25-23, 24-26, 25-20 win over the Pilots.

&uot;I wanted to get the game over with because I don’t feel well,&uot; said Shannon, who also recorded two kills in the Lady Warriors’ season opener. &uot;I could have done better. You can always improve.&uot;

Ashley Cox opened the match by knocking over two aces for a 3-0 lead. The Lady Pilots fought back, tying the score at nine, but Cox went back to work, hammering five consecutive points for a 15-10 lead. Sarah McDonald served for two more as the Lady Warriors went up 18-12, and kills by Whitney Eley and April Hines incre-ased the lead to 20-12. Norview scored two quick points, but Shannon served for two and Hines tipped a shot into Pilot territory to end the game.

Cox scored another ace to start the second game, but Norview jumped ahead, 4-2. Eley, Shannon and Susan Griffion bashed down kills and Eley scored an ace to take a 7-5 lead. She served for five more points for a 12-5 lead, and Cox tipped in a shot, going up 13-6. Aided by Shannon’s second kill, Cox served her team to 16-6, and Shannon got them to 20-7. The Lady Pilots scored, but Cox spiked back possession, and Brittney Szalanski served for the remaining points.

The third game was a war, with the lead switching five times and neither team gaining more than a three-point advantage until the end.

Eley whacked a pair of kills to grab her team a 19-16 advantage, and served for another. Norview got to 20-19, and Shannon went to serve. Three points later, the Lady Warriors were up 24-20, and the Lady Pilots called timeout. Undaunted, Shannon smacked a serve just inside the Norview serving line, ending the match.

&uot;There’s going to be teams that aren’t so great, and we can’t slack off when we play them,&uot; said Hines, who served for two aces. &uot;We played well today, but we really weren’t ourselves. I think we could play better.&uot;

Though known more for his spiking prowess, Sorenson opened the boys match by serving his team to a 4-1 lead (normal top server Dusty Alexander was out with an ankle injury). Brian Briesemeister aced the Warriors to 8-2, and the scoring went back and forth until he returned to the line with a 16-8 lead. He knocked over three more points, and the teams again went back and forth until, culminating in two service points from Josh Anderson to end the game.

The Pilots flew off to a 4-0 lead in game two, but the serving of John Brown tied the score, and the nip-and-tuck scoring began again. Norview kept the upper hand for several minutes, getting as far away as 21-18. Boykins smashed two kills, and Briesemeister served to tie the score. Each team scored, and Brown tipped over a shot and Jacob a kill for a 24-22 lead. Boykins was called for touching the net, but he recovered to end the game with a spike on the next play.

The last breaks went Norview’s way in the third game, grabbing two points with the score tied at 24 to take the game. Anderson and Brown got the Warriors rolling in game four, serving for a 6-1 lead, but the Pilots stormed right back, tying the score at eight before a kill from Boykins gave River back the momentum. He served for four points (two of which were kills by Sorenson) as the Warriors got to 15-12. Norview made one last charge, reaching 21-20. But the Warriors regained possession, and Briesemeister knocked over a pair to get within a point of the match.

His next serve flew to the center of the Norview court, and the Pilots returned it quickly. In the backcourt, Kellan Ray knocked a volley to Brown, kneeling in the center. Ray sent a set to the surprised Jacob on the left, and the older Andy slashed it past the Norview front line to end the game.

&uot;I was surprised that he set me up because if it’s an important point, you usually set up the guys in the center,&uot; Jacob said. &uot;A hit from where I was goes across the court, and it’s easy to block.&uot;

The team intends to use the victory as a tune-up for Southeastern District competition, Boykins said. &uot;This is a great way to get us ready,&uot; he said. &uot;Playing games that last an hour and a half get you ready for long games. Even when we lost the game today, we never got down on ourselves, because we knew we could win.&uot; The teams will attempt to continue their winning ways Thursday at Oscar Smith.