Lady Eagles spike their last spring scrimmage

NICK WERDERMAN

Sports Editor

On Friday, April 14, the UMW volleyball team faced off against one another in an intrasquad scrimmage.

Head Coach Alex Hinsey, who has been with the team since 2019, stood atop the referee stand, whistle in hand. Below him, the Lady Eagles were evenly split between the two assistant coaches: Tenley Hares, who led the white team, and Bob Hott coaching the navy team. 

During the match, the three managers helped out in different capacities. Mary Quick, an undecided sophomore, perused the edges of the court to get some action shots with her camera. Meanwhile, Emma Corujo, a sophomore elementary education major, controlled the electronic scoreboard and timer. Freshman Makayla Bowman joined Hinsey as the second referee on the opposite side of the net. 

In the end, the navy team came out on top with a 3–1 set lead. Their consistent defense and aggressive serving assisted their victory. The white team held their own, however, only trailing a few points behind navy in each of the sets they lost. 

“We are in such a good place,” said Hinsey to his players following the scrimmage. “From that standpoint, I am beyond proud of the play you all showed today.”

With standout defensive play by freshman Maura Munson and junior psychology major Jordan Lyons on the white team, the navy team struggled offensively to avoid the duo in the back row. Looking toward the front row, junior psychology major Emma Hadley had a stellar blocking game, putting up a wall in front of the white team’s hitters. Both sophomore setters Lauren Foley, a biology major, and Brenna Campbell, undecided, whizzed across the court, switching up their sets in order to thoroughly confuse their opponent’s blockers. 

This scrimmage marked senior business administration major Krista Rodgers’ last time playing in a UMW jersey. With her standout performance last season, Rodgers received the honors of Coast-to-Coast All Tournament Team in addition to C2C Offensive Player of the Week. Though her presence on the court will be missed, as she is the only graduating senior, the team will have many returning players in the fall.   

The navy versus white scrimmage marked the end of the Lady Eagles’ spring season where the team has been hard at work, training and lifting in preparation for the upcoming fall 2023 season. 

Hinsey is looking forward to the upcoming fall season. “It’s going to be a great, competitive season,” he said.