Volleyball: Strasburg's Ks bring the heat (09-20-06)
Katie, Kaylee and Kalyn leave the opposition tongue-tied and spiked on -- By Tommy Keeler Jr. (Daily Staff Writer)
STRASBURG — The options can become a little overwhelming for Strasburg setter Kaitlin Smoot.
The junior has plenty of choices on the front line, but the names all sound alike. Katie Baker, Kaylee Kohlhaas and Kalyn Warner are an imposing force for opponents and a tongue-twister for teammates.
"We have nicknames for each other, so that helps," Smoot said. "Sometimes we call Katie Baker 'Big Bird.' Usually, we use last names. In matches, it's not so bad because we call out numbers."
The three Ks have racked up a lot of kills this season. Junior middle hitter Baker leads the team with 64, followed by senior middle hitter Kohlhaas with 55 and junior outside hitter Warner with 39. The Rams, who are 8-0 entering tonight's match at Sherando, have been the beneficiaries.
With so much talent in the lineup, Smoot's toughest decision is deciding who to go to on a given play.
"They make it easy for me," she said. "We have two of the best middle hitters in Kaylee and Katie. They hit with so much power."
With only four seniors, the Rams remain a young squad. But most of the players have been together for several years, after working up from the junior varsity together.
Last season was the first at the varsity level for most of them, and it was a learning experience. The Rams were up and down but finished second in the Bull Run District before losing in the Region B quarterfinals.
This season, they came back with more confidence and have become one of the premier teams in the area.
Strasburg won the Apple Capital tournament at Handley on Sept. 9. They beat Hampshire (W.Va.) in the final, but they posted their biggest win of the year in the semifinals, knocking off previously undefeated James Wood in three games.
"That was awesome," Kohlhaas said. "I think we just all wanted it at the end."
The Rams trailed 24-17 in the final game and faced seven match points. Warner began serving at 24-18; she said she was nervous as she stepped to the line.
"I was just thinking, 'Just get the serves in,'" she said. "When we came back and won like that, it was just an awesome feeling."
Sherando, last year's Group AA state runner-up, is 6-3 and tied with James Wood atop the Northwestern District. But after beating James Wood, Strasburg believes it can play with any team — regardless of classification.
"I think Sherando is going to be our toughest test yet," Kohlhaas said. "It's a chance for us to show how strong we are. After beating a Double-A team like James Wood, we're not afraid of playing anybody."
The matchup should be a battle of two powerful front lines. Sherando sophomores Haley Jacobson (6-foot-2), Lauren Carter (5-11) and Danielle Caputo (5-10) are taller than any player the Warriors had last year. Baker is Strasburg's tallest player at 6-0, while Kohlhaas is 5-9 and Warner is 5-6.
The Rams have fought through a difficult nondistrict schedule. After tonight, they will have played three of the best Group AA teams in the area — Sherando, James Wood and Warren County. They have also faced Page County, usually one of the top teams in the Shenandoah District.
"They say to be the best, you have to beat the best," Smoot said. "We want to beat the best."
The tough nondistrict schedule should prepare the Rams for the always-strong Bull Run. With a year of experience under their belts, the Rams could be the favorites to win the district and return to regionals.
In the Region B quarterfinals last year, the Rams lost to Wilson Memorial in three games. The loss is still in the back of the Rams' minds.
"That was the hardest loss we've ever had," Kohlhaas said. "That was like a wake-up call.
"We were a young team last year, and now this year is our year to shine."
