Colonels win Conference 21 West volleyball title

WINCHESTER — A two-point deficit in the third set proved to be the most adversity James Wood faced in the Conference 21 West Tournament volleyball championship match against Woodgrove on Thursday night.

Colonels coach P.W. Hillyard called for a timeout after his team fell behind for the first time in the match, and James Wood responded with a 7-1 run that put the Colonels well on their way to their first postseason tournament championship since the Northwestern District tournament in 2012.

James Wood senior middle hitter Taylor Heishman led the Colonels with 12 kills and senior setter Megan Hillyard added a team-high 32 assists and 15 digs as the Colonels swept Woodgrove 25-14, 25-15, 25-16 at Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium.

The Colonels (20-2) will now host a 4A West Region tournament match on Monday night. The time and opponent should be determined today.

P.W. Hillyard said he called the timeout — his first and only one of the match — just to make sure his players were relaxed and focused.

“I just wanted them to take a deep breath and slow down a little bit,” Hillyard said. “They’ve responded all year, and they did it again tonight. I can’t say enough for our senior leadership and the way everybody stepped up on our team.”

The Colonels’ seniors certainly did their part.

Heishman led the way at the net, Hillyard chased down just about every ball to keep the Wood offense flowing, and senior libero Leilani Burch had 15 digs and a team-best five aces. Senior Ashanti Day added six kills, but it was an all-around team effort by James Wood that proved to be the difference against Woodgrove (14-9).

Woodgrove senior Carolyn Cain’s kill gave the Wolverines their largest lead at 13-11 in the third set, but the Colonels answered following the timeout.

After a lift and an errant hit by Woodgrove evened the score at 13-13, James Wood sophomore outside hitter Jessica Putnam (seven kills, three aces) and senior middle hitter Ashanti Day followed with back-to-back kills to put James Wood ahead 15-13.

Following a Colonel service error, consecutive hitting errors by Woodgrove stretched the lead to three before Heishman’s kill capped the 7-1 run that put the Colonels ahead 18-14.

James Wood never trailed the rest of the way, closing the match on a 7-2 run. Putnam’s ace off the top of the net set up match point, and sophomore Gillian Kleiderlein’s kill clinched a 25-16 win.

Megan Hillyard said the Colonels are peaking at the right time with a lot of players contributing to the success.

“Leilani’s now libero, and Morgan [Biggs] got hurt [in Wednesday’s semifinal win over Handley], so we had our sophomore Gillian really step up and she’s been playing awesome.”

Kleiderlein added five kills, helping to fill the void left by Biggs, who was on crutches with a left ankle injury. Kaitlyn Poppo led the Colonels with 16 digs.

The Colonels never trailed in the first two sets.

A James Wood service error helped Woodgrove cut the Colonels’ lead to 10-9 in the opening set, but Putnam answered with a kill to spark three straight points.

Heishman added a block, and Day followed with a service point to push the Colonels’ lead back to four at 13-9. Woodgrove never cut the deficit to less than three the rest of the way in the opening set.

The second set proved to be much like the first.

Woodgrove junior Maddie Erb’s kill cut James Wood’s lead to 15-12, but the Colonels reeled off four straight points from there. Heishman had a block during a long rally and then put away a kill, and Taylor Robinson followed with a tip to start the run. Burch kept it going with consecutive aces to stretch the Colonels’ lead to 19-12.

James Wood’s four straight points was part of a 10-3 run to close the set. Robinson had a kill and an ace, and Day also added a kill to seal a 25-15 victory.

Robinson said the Colonels really did a good job talking to each other in terms of passing and just covering the court.

“We really communicated, and I think we played really well,” said Robinson, who had eight digs and two aces. “I think we came together as a team and it really showed.

“I’m very excited [about the championship], and very happy to be a part of this team.”

Woodgrove coach Carmel Keilty said the Colonels are a tough matchup because of their consistent play.

“Overall, [the Colonels] just play well together. The chemistry is there, and they do a very good job of it,” Keilty said. “My kids do as well, but they just had a few breakdowns tonight. The kids played hard, and we’ve had to overcome some really bad injuries, and to get to this point is very commendable on my kids’ part.

“But Wood has strength everywhere. When you have that you have great servers and good hitters and good passers — it’s tough.”

Cain led the Wolverines with seven kills. Erb added six kills and a block, and Eve Lippert had five kills and a block for Woodgrove.

— Contact Robert Stocks at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1