Faith Christian Volleyball

2010 Post Season Highlights

Congratulations to Jamie Pickett for receiving Metro Player Senior of the Year award!

Regional Tournament ::: November 6, 2010

The Faith Christian Eagles played in one of four Regional tournaments with the top two teams qualifying to go to the State Tournament finals.  They were up against three very tough teams in Eaton, Classical Academy and Middle Park.  Faith played hard and left it all on the court, but fell short of qualifying for State, losing to Classical Academy, 15-25, 16-25, and 20-25 in the first match.  Faith needed to play almost perfect volleyball to trade points with Classical Academy; however, poor passing resulted in too few strong attacks, and Faith eventually lost to Classical Academy’s superior offensive firepower.   The Eagles played scrappy defense, with Tori Ligrani coming in off the bench and adding a spark with some good digs.  Heather Losasso was a highlight for Faith in the loss, hitting the ball hard and giving the team some much-needed offense.

Faith then lost to Eaton 17-25, 20-25, and 22-25 in the second match.  This was Faith’s best match of the day.  The team played with a lot of intensity, there were a lot of exciting rallies, and the crowd for both Faith and Eaton were loud and supportive.  Faith was inspired by Jamie Pickett’s gutsy and strong performance in spite of an injury that almost put her on the sidelines for the last two matches of her high school volleyball career.  Passing improved from the first match, leading to increased offense – Losasso with 10 kills, Pickett with 7 kills, and Courtney Sanders with 6 kills.  Defense was intense, led by Pickett with 17 digs, Holly Hardcastle with 10 digs, and Jenae Hall, Sanders, Losasso, Abigail Hegarty and Anna Curtis each contributing an average of 5 digs.  Faith also had some exciting blocks during the match from Sanders, Hall and Hegarty.  Faith had some opportunities to win, especially in the third game, but fell short.  This was a tough loss, as it ended Faith’s hopes of going to the state tournament.

The final match of the day for Faith was against Middle Park, with Faith losing the match, 20-25, 19-25 and 15-25.  Lossaso continued to spark the Eagles with her hard hitting, notching another 10 kills.  Sanders had 4 kills and 3 nice blocks.  Hardcastle led the team with 14 digs, followed by Hall with 11 digs.  Faith also got a lift off the bench from the offensive play of Tiffani Ramos and Maggie Shiefflin, the serving of Kayla Keiter and Lynzee Allen, and the defense of Taylor Williams.

It’s always hard to end the season with a loss, but Eagles can look forward to building on the many positives from this season.  The Eagles will feel the loss of their 2 seniors, Pickett and Ramos, but the play of the remaining varsity players and the promise from the junior varsity team will give Coach Caldwell a solid group to build on the success of the 2010 season.

District Tournament ::: October 30, 2010

Faith Christian qualified for the second seed in their District qualifier, which was held at Valley High School.  Faith had a good warm-up match against Arrupe Jesuit, the fourth seed, winning 25-8, 25-11, 25-13.

Their second match pitted the Eagles against Weld Central, who came into the match having lost their first match to the first seed Valley Vikings.  Faith knew that a win against Weld Central would ensure they would advance to Regionals.  Weld Central had some good hitters, and Faith got behind 2-8 with bad passing and early hitting errors.  Faith finally caught up at 11-11 and took the lead with a nice ace by Holly Hardcastle.  The Eagles pulled ahead 17-14, but Weld Central caught them at 18-18.  After that, the score was even all the way to the end.  Faith got behind 21-23, but a great dig by Tori Ligrani, followed by a block by Jenae Hall brought the Eagles to within 1 point, 22-23.  Faith held off 3 game points from Weld Central, took the lead with an ace by Jamie Pickett, lost the lead, regained the lead with a beautiful dump kill by Hall, lost the lead, regained the lead with a service error by Weld Central, and finally won the game with a kill by Heather Losasso, 28-26.  The Faith fans breathed a sigh of relief to win the first game in spite of a shaky start.  Faith went on to win the next two games and the match, 25-17 and 25-14.  Tough serving by Faith capitalized on poor passing by Weld Central, with Faith serving up 14 aces in the match.  Losasso led the team with 8 kills.  The Eagles also had a good blocking match with 8 blocks.  Defensively, Hardcastle had 11 digs, followed by Pickett with 10 digs.

With a berth in Regionals assured, Faith squared off against the Valley Vikings with first place in Districts at stake.  Unfortunately, Faith couldn’t stay with the Vikings, who had too many weapon, despite Faith’s scrappy defense, led by Pickett with 17 digs, and Hardcastle and Hall with 12 digs each.  The Eagles couldn’t put the ball away against Valley’s good defense, relentless offense and tough serving.  Valley won the match, 25-9, 25-17, 25-14.

Faith advances to Regionals next weekend, when they will face Eaton, Classical Academy and Middle Park.  The top two teams will go on to compete in the State Tournament.

2010 Season Highlights

Faith vs. Denver Lutheran ::: October 21, 2010

The Faith Christian Eagles closed out the regular season on a high note with an exciting 5-game win over the Denver Lutheran Lights, 24-26, 27-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-6.  The Eagles overcame and quieted a loud and somewhat intimidating Denver Lutheran student crowd with tough serving , clutch digs and blocks of Lutheran’s big hitter, and a team total of 53 kills.  Courtney Sanders had a break-out match, hitting the ball hard in the middle  with some nice sets from Jenae Hall, and finishing with 11 kills, 5 aces and 2 blocks.   Easy to overlook, but key to the match was the steady passing by Holly Hardcastle and Jamie Pickett who passed the majority of the serves very well for five long games.

The two teams traded points back and forth early in the first game, before Lutheran pulled out to an 18-12 lead.  Faith rallied to take its first lead of the game at 19-18.  The score was tied at 24-24, before Lutheran took game 1, 26-24.

The second game was another nail biter.  Hardcastle and Sanders served tough, forcing Lutheran errors, and Kayla Keiter came in and served to get the score to 24-21.  Lutheran took the lead 25-24, but a kill by Pickett, an ace by Hardcastle, followed by a nice dig by Hardcastle and kill by Sanders ended in a win for Faith in game 2, 27-25.  Heather Losasso and Pickett hit well on the outside, and Pickett and Hardcastle combined for 12 digs.

The Eagles  continued their momentum in game 3, winning 25-17.  Sanders continued to force Lutheran errors with tough serves, and Pickett had 6 kills.  Abby Hegarty also had a good game running the middle attack.

The tension mounted as the Eagles tried to close out the match in game 4.  The game started with a strong  kill by Sanders and a stuff block by Anna Curtis.  Lossaso, Sanders and Pickett hit well and Maggie Shiefflin came in to add some additional firepower.  The game was close all the way and was tied 23-23, but Lutheran won 25-23.  Highlights were some great digs by Pickett and Hardcastle and two hits down the line by Pickett and Shiefflin that two Lutheran players will not soon forget.

A deciding game 5 is usually a tense affair.  But Pickett took the uncertainty out early by starting the game with an ace and then going on to serve 8 points before Lutheran scored a single point.  During that run, Sanders had two strong kills and Shiefflin had 3 kills in a row.  Faith blocked well and Pickett put on a digging clinic with 10 digs to diffuse Lutheran’s leading hitter.   Faith had built up an insurmountable lead at 11-4, when Sanders put the game on ice with 3 ace serves in a row to get to game point at 14-4.  Faith won the game, 15-6.  It was a satisfying win and good preparation for Districts next weekend.

Faith vs. Colorado Academy ::: October 19, 2010

The Faith Christian Eagles lost a tough match to Colorado Academy in 4 games, 19-25, 25-23, 17-25, 22-25.  The first game was close through the first 14 points, but then Colorado Academy pulled away to win, 25-19.  Faith suffered from too many ball control and hitting errors and fell too far behind to make up the difference.  In the midst of this slow start, Holly Hardcastle had a good game, serving well and making some great digs.

Faith continued its ball control woes in the second game, falling behind, 1-7.  Faith never found a good rhythm and fell behind by their biggest deficit in the game, 11-19.  It appeared CA was going to close out the second game; however, with the score at 16-23, Heather Losasso stepped up to serve. CA did not score another point in the second game.   Losasso served 9 points in a row, including 2 aces.  She was supported with kills by Tiffani Ramos, Abigail Hegarty, Jamie Pickett and a stuff block by Hegarty.  There were also some great digs during their comeback run by Tori Ligrani, Losasso, and Jenae Hall.  When the smoke cleared, Faith had won the second game, 25-23.

Courtney Sanders started the third game with 2 nice kills.  The game was close for the first half of the the game, and Hegarty and Sanders had some success in the middle; however, errors by Faith kept it from taking the lead, and Faith eventually lost 17-25.

Faith started the fourth game in the same manner as the first three games, falling behind by as much as 8 points.  However, Faith rallied again with tough serving by Hardcastle who served 3 aces in a row, followed by a kill by Sanders to close to within 2 points, 16-18.  However, Faith was unable to sustain consistency, getting kills and aces, but then giving its gains back with errors.  Faith held off 4 game point chances by CA, but finally fell, 22-25.

Pickett led the team with 9 kills and 14 digs, followed by Losasso with 12 digs, and Hall and Hardcastle with 11 digs each.  Curtis has 6 kills, and Sanders and Hegarty had 5 kills each.  Faith’s serving kept them in the match, with the team notching 11 aces.

Faith vs. Kent ::: October 13, 2010

The Eagles rebounded from their loss to Holy Family with a 3-game win over Kent Denver, 25-14, 25-16, 25-16.  Heather Losasso had a good game, leading the team with 12 kills.  Faith is in a tight race for first place in the Metro league, with 4 teams having only 1 loss each in league play.  Faith’s last two regular season games are against two of those teams.  Faith is 12-5 overall and 7-1 in league play.

Faith vs. Holy Family ::: October 12, 2010

Faith Christian honored its seniors, Tiffani Ramos and Jamie Pickett, in the Eagles’ last regular game of the season.  Pickett and Ramos are co-captains of the team this year.  Ramos is a 2-year varsity team member, lettering in both years.  She is a two-sport varsity athlete in basketball and volleyball.  Pickett is a 4-year varsity team member, lettering in all 4 years.  Pickett leads the team in kills, digs and total attacks.  Ramos and Pickett bring consistency and leadership to the team that will be missed next year.

The match against Holy Family is always close and hotly contested.  Excitement was high, and the two teams put on a great show to a full house.  It was also “80’s night” in the student section with glitzy gold and big hair in abundance.  The team showed its appreciation for the students’ support this season by throwing gifts.  Unfortunately, the Eagles picked up their first loss of the season, falling to Holy Family in 5 games.  The Eagles took an early lead in the first game, leading 8-3 before Holy Family pulled ahead 17-10.  Holy Family had game point at 24-19, but Faith refused to give up, combining a kill by Heather Losasso, an ace by Anna Curtis, a kill by Pickett and another ace by Curtis to tie the game at 24-24.  A kill by Pickett gave Faith its first late game lead at 25-24.  The two teams traded points with the crowd going crazy with each point.  A stuff block by Courtney Sanders tied the score at 28-28.  A kill by Curtis gave Faith the lead at 29-28 and Pickett ended the game with a stuff block to take game 1, 30-28.  After the exciting come-from-behind win in the first game, Faith did not play well, and lost the second game, 13-25.  Faith came back strong in the third game, winning easily, 25-17.  Holy Family took the exciting fourth game, 26-24.  Faith had the opportunity to win the game and the match, but two out of rotation mistakes near the end of the game sealed the win for Holy Family.  The fifth and deciding game was disappointing for Faith, who fell behind early and were not able to recover, losing 12-15.  The difference in a very close match (the total point differential was only 7 points) was Holy Family’s blocking and their success in shutting down Faith’s middle attack.  Pickett and Curtis led the team with 15 kills and 11 kills, respectively.  Holly Hardcastle led the team with 23 digs, with Pickett adding 21 digs, Curtis 16 digs and Jenae Hall 14 digs.  Hall also led the team with 25 assists.  Faith is 11-5 overall and 6-1 in league play.

Faith vs. Machebeuf ::: October 7, 2010

Faith vs. St. Mary's Academy ::: October 5, 2010

The Faith Christian Eagles continued their winning ways with a 3 game win over the St. Mary’s Academy Wildcats, 25-15, 25-10, 25-14.  The Wildcats brought a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the match, but were bothered by poor ball control and service errors.  Jenae Hall and Heather Losasso ran the middle attack very effectively with Courtney Sanders leading the team in total attacks with 21, 4 kills and 2 solo blocks.  Jamie Pickett added 7 kills, Jenae Hall, 4 kills, and Losasso and Abigail Hegarty each had 3 kills.  It was nice to see Anna Curtis back in the line-up, hitting the ball hard from the outside and adding 1 solo block.  Tiffani Ramos also had a good match, including a beautiful back “A” to end game 1 with a bang.  The offense was made possible by the consistently good passing, ball control and defense of Holly Hardcastle (7 digs), Pickett (13 digs), Tori Ligrani (5 digs) and Taylor Williams (4 digs).  Faith is 10-4 overall, 5-0 in league play.

Faith vs. Englewood ::: September 28, 2010

The Englewood Pirates are new to the Metropolitan league this year, moving down from Class 4A.  Their first meeting with the Eagles was not the “treasure” they were hoping for.  The Eagles took the match in 3 games, 25-15, 25-13, and 25-5.  Coach Caldwell took the opportunity to play a number of players hitting from different positions and to run the middle attack early and often.  Running the middle paid off as Jenae Hall connected with Courtney Sanders on some beautiful “no doubt” kills in games 2 and 3.   Abigail Hegarty had a team-leading 7 kills and 11 attacks out of the middle, followed closely by Sanders with 6 kills and 15 attacks.  Heather Losasso added 6 kills, including one of the best kills of the night from the right side.  Pickett had 5 kills, and Tiffani Ramos, Hall and Shiefflin each added 4 kills.  The third game was a “block fest” with solo blocks by Sanders, Losasso, and Shiefflin, and ending with a solo block by Hegarty to clinch the game and the match.  Jamie Pickett and Holly Hardcastle continue to pass well in the 2-person serve receive formation instituted by Caldwell two or three matches ago.  Taylor Williams (8 digs), Tori Ligrani (4 digs), Hardcastle (7 digs), Hall (4 digs) and Pickett (10 digs) are the heart of a defense that leads the Metro League in digs with 635 total, 144 more than the next team.

Faith vs. Eaton ::: September 25, 2010

The Faith Christian Eagles met a tough opponent in the Eaton Reds.  The Reds have a potent offense in the middle and at the outside positions, combined with good defense and strong blocking.  Although Eaton would periodically get a great kill or a stuff block against the Eagles, the Eagles played hard and stayed with Eaton for most of the first game.  However, with the Eagles trailing the Reds, 17-19, a string of errors by Faith allowed the Reds to pull away and win game 1, 25-18.

The Eagles came out aggressively in game 2, pulling away to an early lead of 10-4, thanks to the tough serving of Heather Losasso and some nice digs by Tori Ligrani, Jenae Hall and Losasso.  However, the Eagles could not hold off the Reds, who hit and blocked their way back into the game, catching the Eagles at 12-12.  The game stayed close thanks to the steady passing of Holly Hardcastle, kills by Maggie Schiefflin down the line, impossible cut shots by Jamie Pickett and a nice middle hit combination from Hall to Abigail Hegarty.  However, with the score at 16-17, the Reds pulled away once again in a carbon copy of the first game.  The Eagles got a lift near the end of game 2 from a kill down the line by Schiefflin off the head of an Eaton defender, who had to pick up her dignity off the floor, but who was otherwise okay.  Despite valiant efforts, the Eagles lost the second game, 18-25.

The third game was one of the most exciting games of the season thus far. Eaton put Faith in a deep hole, getting off to a daunting 7-1 lead.  The Eagles fought their way back, fueled by the terrific serving of Taylor Williams who served a string of 6 points, including 3 aces, that ended with the score at 10-10.  The Eagles and Reds traded points until 16-16, when a series of 4 errors in a row put the Eagles behind 16-20.  The points were alternatively exhilarating and heartbreaking as the Eagles fought their way back to tie the game at 24-24.  With the crowd going crazy with every point, the Eagles played tough defense, with great digs by Hardcastle, Hall and Ligrani (sounds like a law firm) and a nice off-speed kill by Pickett to tie the score at 25-25.  Eaton took the lead at 26-25 and was serving for the game and the match, but a kill by Lossaso tied the score at 26-26.  A dig by Hardcastle and another beautiful kill by Losasso gave the Eagles the lead at 27-26, and a chance to serve for the game.  However, the Reds tied the score at 27-27, regained the lead at 28-27, and finally ended the game with a block to take game 3, 29-27.

The Eagles proved they can stay with the Reds and can look forward to a rematch with Eaton at the end of the season.  Faith is 8-4 overall, and 3-0 in league play.     

Faith vs. Jefferson Academy ::: September 23, 2010

The Eagles met Jefferson Academy in an exciting 5-game match that could have gone either way.  The Eagles were missing some key players with Heather Losasso sitting out the match with a sprained ankle and Anna Curtis still nursing an ailing shoulder.  Jefferson Academy came to play, showing up with a large and enthusiastic student section that raised the intensity of the match from the first point.  The Eagles dropped the first game, 13-25, falling behind due to hitting errors and strong blocking by Jefferson Academy.  The typically late-arriving Faith student section finally reached full force and evened the playing field in the other game within the game – dueling student section cheering battles.

The Eagles started slowly in the second game, falling behind early, but they picked up their game with improved ball control and aggressive hitting, and tied the score at 9-9.  The two teams stayed even, neither team ever leading by more than 2 points, until Faith finally took the lead at 19-18 and never gave it back, finishing with two kills by Maggie Schiefflin, a tough serve by Tiffani Ramos forcing a poor set and a JA hitting error, and a kill by Schiefflin to take the second game 25-20.

The intensity continued to increase in the third game as, again, neither team ever led by more than 2 points at any point in the game.  Faith hitters rose to the challenge with kills from Jamie Pickett, Shiefflin, Courtney Sanders, Kayla Keiter, Ramos and Hall, but it was the defense that made the difference.  Faced with a strong JA block, the whole team played defense with a level of intensity that was so fun to watch, covering their hitters and bringing up blocked balls, diving and reaching for balls, and making dig after dig to keep the ball in play.  The third game ended with a kill by Pickett at 24-23 and an ace serve by Schiefflin for the win, 25-23.

With Faith leading the match 2 games to 1, Jefferson Academy had their backs against the wall.  The Eagles spotted JA to a 5 point lead, starting with 5 errors before a Schiefflin tip finally got the Eagles on the board.  Although Faith continued to play hard, JA increased their lead to as much as 14 points at one point, and took game 4, 25-15.

Jefferson Academy took the early lead in game 5, but Faith worked their way back with 2 kills by Pickett, an ace by Hall, tough serving by Holly Hardcastle and 3 clutch digs by Tori Ligrani.  The turning point (cue “Rocky” theme) came with another long rally featuring multiple digs and dives, ending with a Schiefflin kill to tie the score at 8-8.  Faith then took their first lead of the game with a kill by Ramos to make the score 9-8.  Pickett served for 6 points to pull away, 13-8.  The Eagles won game 5, with a score of 15-11.

Faith vs. Manual ::: September 21, 2010

The Faith Christian Eagles took their show on the road, visiting the Thunderdome in a league match against the Manual Thunderbolts, and winning in three games, 25-14, 25-11 and 25-10.  Manual’s volleyball program is a work in progress, and while the outcome may have been a foregone conclusion, nevertheless, we can all take an example from the way they played – with their heads up, losing with grace and without apology.  Go Bolts!

Faith vs. Peak to Peak ::: September 16, 2010

The Faith Christian Eagles won an exciting 4-game match over a much-improved Peak to Peak team, 25-19, 26-28, 25-19, 25-12.  Peak to Peak had no answer for Jamie Pickett, who, with 17 kills and 40 total attacks, displayed an array of line shots, tools off the block, hard angle and roll shots that kept Peak to Peak guessing and off-balance throughout the match.   Holly Hardcastle also had a great match playing in the libero position, with 23 digs, 3 ace serves and nearly perfect passing.

In game 1, Faith fell behind early with passing and hitting errors, then came back with kills from Heather Losasso and Pickett, tough serving by Hardcastle and a solo stuff block by Courtney Sanders.  “What’d she say?  She said ‘No’!”  Faith took the lead for the first time at 16-15 and took game 1 with a score of 25-19, ending the game with a block from Anna Curtis on an overpass, and two double blocks in short succession from Kayla Keiter and Jenae Hall.

Game 2 was a nail-biter, featuring long rallies and diving saves and digs by the whole team.  Hardcastle made two great digs only to have them nullified with nets by our blockers.  Faith went on a nice run in the middle of the game with a double block from Sanders and Hall, an ace by Keiter, kill by Curtis, and then a quick set combination by Losasso and kill by Sanders at 17-15, which was so much fun, Losasso and Sanders combined again to make the score 18-15.   Tori Ligrani came off the bench and played good defense, contributing 6 digs, including a rally in which she made a great diving touch, then later a great dig, which finally ended with a kill by Pickett to tie the score at 20-20.  Faith pulled ahead 24-21 with nice digs from Hardcastle and Pickett, kills by Pickett and Curtis, and an ace by Losasso.  Peak to Peak came back to tie the score at 24-24, but Hall made a beautiful tip shot to take the lead at 25-24.  Faith took the lead again at 26-25, but could not close the door, and Peak to Peak took the second game, 28-26.

Game 3 was highlighted by flawless passing by Hardcastle and Pickett.  The score was close until 14-14, after which Faith pulled ahead and never looked back, with strong hitting and steady ball control.  The game ended with a solo stuff block by Losasso on Peak to Peak’s best hitter, to take game 3, 25-19.

In game 4, Faith showed itself to be a well-rounded team with kills from all hitters, good defense and never-give-up rallies, including nice digs by Keiter and Losasso and a great dig by Curtis.  Pickett was unstoppable at the end of the game with 4 kills in a row to bring the score to 24-12.  Losasso ended the game and the night with an exclamation point on a beautiful kill down the line.  Game 4 ended with a score of 25-12.

Overland Classic ::: September 11, 2010

The Faith Christian Eagles returned to the Overland Classic Tournament looking for a “three-peat,” having taken first place in the tournament the last two years.  Faith played well in pool play, overcoming the steady defense and strong middle attack of Vista Ridge, 25-21, 18-15, 15-12, a weaker Sierra team, 25-15, 25-9 and playing their best match of the day against Liberty, the eventual champions of the tournament.  The Eagles played aggressively and went down swinging, giving Liberty a tough match in a losing effort, 26-28, 25-27.  Faith ended up second in their pool and met Niwot in the first round of bracket play.  The long break between matches seemed to work to the disadvantage of the Eagles, who played down to the level of a weaker Niwot team with poor passing and serving, and lost the match in two games, 24-26 and 21-25.  While the loss to Liberty in pool play meant they could take no better than 5^th place, Faith nevertheless finished out the day with a strong win in their last match of the day, defeating Widefield 25-9 and 25-18.  Faith ended up taking 7^th place in the tournament.    The tournament gave Coach Caldwell the opportunity to try different combinations and line-ups during the day, playing some players in different positions.  The tournament was also an opportunity to test the stamina and desire of the team, resulting in an experience which will benefit the team later in the season.  Faith is 5-3 overall.  Their next match is against Peak to Peak in their first league match of the season.

Faith vs. Platte Valley ::: September 9, 2010

The Faith Christian Eagles rebounded from their disappointing loss to Valley with a solid win over Platte Valley in 4 games.  The Eagles played very well as a team with a serving efficiency of 93% and a team passing average of 2.06.   However, the Eagles started the first game with hitting errors that put them in a hole down 1-7.  But they climbed out, taking the lead with a six serve run by Jamie Pickett, a big double block by Jenae Hall and Tiffani Ramos at 21-18, and a good rally finished by a great kill down the line by Heather Losasso as an exclamation point at 23-21.  Faith won the first game 25-22.

Platte Valley came back to win the second game 25-23.  The score was close throughout, with the lead by either team only averaging a little over 2 points, and never more than 5 points.  The Eagles trailed in the first part of the game, but went on a run with 2 strong kills by Jamie Pickett, a nice kill in the middle by Kayla Keiter, followed by an ace serve by Pickett.  The end of the game was exciting, with a kill by Anna Curtis to bring the Eagles within 1 point at 21-22, and later two clutch digs by Taylor Williams, finished by a smash by Courtney Sanders on a great “A” back one set from Holly Hardcastle to bring the score to 23-24.  Although close, the Eagles dropped the second game 23-25.

The Eagles took the third game 25-15, highlighted by the double blocking of Courtney Sanders and Jenae Hall (see Ecclesiastes 4:9) and 3 nice digs by Tiffani Ramos.  Even though the opening “pancake” dig was called down by the referee, we got it on tape and it was awesome!

The Eagles passed and served well in the fourth game, with ace serves by Courtney Sanders and Holly Hardcastle.  There were memorable kills by Losasso, Keiter, Pickett and Curtis at the end of the game, a great dig by Pickett, a nice save out of the net and a solo block by Hall, and a nearly impossible save by Curtis from behind the second referee and the net standards.  The Eagles were led by Pickett with 16 kills and 18 digs, Curtis with 10 kills, Losasso with 8 kills and 2 solo blocks, Hall with 20 assists and 14 digs, Hardcastle with 14 assists, and Williams with 19 digs.  The Eagles are 2-1 overall.

Faith Christian vs. Valley ::: September 7, 2010

In just their second game of the season, the Faith Christian Eagles played the Valley High School Vikings, who may be their toughest opponents in 3A this year.  Ranked number 1 in the pre-season poll for 3A, Valley plays solid defense and runs a quick offense with athletic hitting at all positions.  In Game 1, tough serving from Valley kept Faith off-balance and unable to generate much offense.  Valley took the first game with a score of 25-10.  In Game 2, Faith’s passing settled in and the teams had some intense rallies.  However, Valley’s quick offense in the middle and to the outside resulted in Faith dropping the second game 25-13.  Faith did not give up and in the third game played evenly with Valley through 13 points before Valley pulled away to lead 21-16.  Faith stormed back with serving from Anna Curtis and Jenae Hall, blocking from Courtney Sanders, Jamie Pickett and Tiffani Ramos, and several long rallies to pull back in contention and force a timeout at 21-22.  Valley’s hitting proved too strong in the end, and Faith lost the third game 21-25.

Highlights in this tough loss were Taylor Williams’ varsity debut with a team-leading 13 digs, Anna Curtis with 10 digs, and Jenae Hall with 9 assists and 8 digs.  Heather Losasso also brings a secret weapon element when hitting right side with her ability to run quick sets to the middle when the setter digs or passes the first ball.  This early season loss can be an opportunity for Faith to build from and work toward a rematch with Valley in the post-season.  Faith is 1-1 overall.

Eagles Take Off in 2010

Faith Christian vs. Strasburg ::: September 2, 2010

The Varsity girls volleyball team started the 2010 season with a solid win over the Strasburg Indians in the Eagles’ home opener, winning 25-23, 25-9, 25-20.  Faith got off to a shaky start, falling behind 1-7 in the first game, before settling down and steadily climbing back into contention.  Faith never led in the game until they finally took the lead at 24-23.  The Eagles went on to win 25-23, thanks to the clutch serving of Holly Hardcastle, who, with the score at 15-23, served 10 points in a row to close out the game.  The team was also aided by the large and enthusiastic student section which came off the bench (literally) to cheer the team to victory.  Building on the win in the first game, the Eagles rolled to a 25-9 win in the second game with improved ball control and strong serving by the entire team, including 6 aces.  The third game was evenly played in the first half, before Faith pulled ahead at 20-16 and never looked back, winning 25-20.

The Eagles were led by Anna Curtis with 8 kills, 9 digs, Jamie Pickett with 7 kills, 13 digs, Courtney Sanders with 7 kills, 2 aces and Holly Hardcastle with 21 assists, 4 aces.