by Jamie Harris
It was a busy week for the Berkeley Springs Lady Indi- ans volleyball team, as they faced off in two matches, one at home against Hancock, and the other on the road against sectional rival Keyser.
On Monday, September 9, the Lady Indians hosted the Hancock Panthers from Hancock, Md., at the Berkeley Springs High School gym. Both teams paid tribute to the late Jeff Palmer, a beloved Paw Paw coach, teacher and athletic director, by wearing red and black ribbons in their hair. Palmer passed away on Thursday, September 5, in a tragic accident.
In junior varsity action, the Lady Indians secured a 2-1 victory over the Panthers. The match scores were 25-8, 20-25 and 25-22. Berkeley Springs was led by standout performances from Lilly Barkley with 20 service points and Isabella Albanese with 12 service points along with Eliana W ebster who played strong on the front line and service line.
The varsity match saw the Lady Indians bounce back after dropping the first set to win 3-1. The match scores were 19-25, 25-20, 25-23 and 25-18. While stats were limited, key contributions came from Ryleigh Poist, Bailee Diehl, Abigail Close, Cambria Andrews, Maddie Close and Danica O’Dell.
The Lady Indians’ week continued with a road trip to Keyser on Thursday, September 12, for a crucial sectional contest. In the junior varsity match, Keyser prevailed 2-0. The varsity contest, however, was a thrilling five-set battle, with Keyser narrowly edging out Berkeley Springs 3-2.
Up next for the Lady Indians is a home match against Southern Fulton on Monday, September 16. They’ll then hit the road to face Hampshire on Tuesday, September 17, before returning home to play Petersburg on Thursday, September 19. Junior varsity games begin at 6 p.m., followed by varsity at 7 p.m.
