Lady Saints win tourney
Published 10:55 pm Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ volleyball beat three teams in two sets during the North Cross Invitational tournament last weekend, and Livi Bono took home the MVP award.
Their wins came against Timberlake Christian, Virginia Episcopal and Hampton Roads Academy. All three wins put the Lady Saints at 11-2 on the season, and it looks as if they are not slowing down anytime soon.
“We played well overall,” Bono said. “We did our jobs and let the other team make mistakes.”
In the first game against Timberlake Christian, the Lady Saints won both sets, 25-16 and 25-19. The Lady Saints know how good they are, so they come out with confidence each match.
“The things we had worked on prior to the tournament, we did really well,” coach Robyn Ross said. “Our serving and passing were really well last weekend.”
The Lady Saints’ Livi Bono took home the MVP trophy in the North Cross Invitational. Two of her teammates, Nicole Wright and Lindsay Knierbein, also received all-tournament honors. NSA is 11-2.
After their first win, NSA followed up with another 2-0 victory against Hampton Roads Academy. That win made it the second win of the season over HRA, as NSA also defeated them Aug. 30.
“Every match, we find something to work on and get better at it,” Ross said. “I think we did a good job of showing how far we come since the first time we played them.”
Bono gave credit to her team for taking home the MVP award. The Lady Saints also had two other players make the all-tournament in Nicole Wright and Lindsay Knierbein.
“As a team, we all held our own while working together,” Wright said. “We all wanted this tournament win, so by all having the same goal, it motivated us. We wanted to give it our everything for every point.”
Right now, the team wants to continue to improve its offense. For most of the Lady Saints’ games, they capitalize on teams’ offenses by drawing them into mistakes. At times, the Lady Saints want to switch their playing style from a solid defensive plan to an aggressive offensive plan. Because the Lady Saints volleyball program has a recent history of success, it brings the best out in each team that plays them.
“I think a lot of teams play their best games against us,” Logan Harrell said. “Knowing that everyone wants to beat us definitely pushes us to play our best.”
The Lady Saints will have another tournament starting at 9 a.m. Sept. 24 at Flint High School in Oakton.
NSA def. Timberlake Christian
25-16, 25-19
NSA def. Virginia Episcopal
25-16, 25-9
NSA def. Hampton Roads Academy
25-17, 25-11
