By Alyssa Goodson — Daily Sports Correspondent

WINCHESTER — The first home match of the season couldn't have gone any better for the James Wood volleyball team, as it swept Handley 3-0 (25-10, 26-24, 25-17) on Tuesday night.

The Colonels came out firing in their first game, easily picking apart the Judges' defense with smart targeting and powerful attacks to take an easy 25-10 victory. James Wood's only weakness appeared to be serving, allowing half of Handley's points off service errors.

"Our goal early on was to hit hard and keep the ball low on our attacks," James Wood coach Jill Lester said. "We did exactly that, and it worked perfectly. I did notice that we need to fix the problems with our serving, though. That was an issue for us tonight, and it shouldn't have been."

Service errors continued into the second game for James Wood, mixed this time with attacking errors. Handley took a quick 8-5 lead, but James Wood battled from the start, tying the game on 14 occasions. Tied at 24-24, the Colonels finally broke away with back-to-back kills by Sara Michael and Emily Shannon to take a 26-24 win. Five of Handley's points had been scored off service errors, and nine from attack errors.

Heather Armel, who led James Wood with six kills, chalked up the poor play in the second game to nerves.

"I think our nerves really got to us in that second game," Armel said. "This was our first home game, it's the night before of our first day of classes, and all our friends and families were here. We pushed them aside in the first game, but they caught up to us for the second one. I think we're a great team, we were just a little nervous."

James Wood bounced back quickly for the third game, again showcasing its powerful attacks and excellent ball placement. The Colonels jumped out to a quick 15-8 lead, and this time it was Handley plagued by errors. With James Wood's strong offense returning to form and Handley's faltering, the Colonels were able to capture a smooth 25-17 win.

"James Wood's a good team," Handley coach Lindsay Hazelette said. "We just need to work on our communication and our teamwork. The first and third games were like a roller coaster for us. Once we get those factors under control, we'll play better as a team."