Written by Athletic Facilities Manager and Coach Jarrett Van Meter
Wearing special edition pink uniforms, the Asheville School volleyball team used a fast start to seize control early over Gaston Christian and never looked back en route to a 3-0 (25-11, 25-22, 25-22) home victory on Tuesday.
Sophomore Martha Plaehn catalyzed the Blues attack in the first set with a double-digit-point service turn. Asheville School was vaulted from a 13-10 lead to comfortable 23-10 margin during Plaehn’s service spree, allowing the Blues to sail in for a 25-11 first set victory.
“Martha was saying after the game that after all these years, she’s finally becoming a tough and confident server,” said Head Coach Tim Plaehn after the win. “She’s served thousands and thousands of balls by this point, and all that repetition has paid off. The key for her is the pre-serve routine she’s been doing for years—that brings her confidence—and then her reach and jump make it particularly tough to return.”
Freshman Amber Jarecki-Meyers was simply too much at the net for Gaston Christian to deal with, rising over the net and sending demoralizing spikes down on the Eagles seemingly every time the visitors seemed poised for a run.
“Amber is a big-time player,” said Plaehn. “She’s got a great swing and just hammers the ball, but she’s now starting to hit different shots to keep defenders off balance. When she’s getting in her hitting lane, and Martha and her are clicking, then she really becomes something of a guarantee at the net. She’s hitting .315 over our last five matches, which is a huge deal! That’s what college hitters hit!”
The Blues will host Carolina Day on Friday. Asheville School defeated the Wildcats 3-0 in the first meeting between the two teams on September 17. Despite the victory on Tuesday, Plaehn still saw several areas his team needs to shore up before heading into the season’s home stretch.
“Right now we’re focused on getting the sets where they need to be, smart hitting for when the sets aren’t where they need to be, and then quicker, more dynamic movements on defense,” he said. “I like that the setter and the hitters are trying more sets to try to diversify our offense. The more we practice, the better we’ll be, so we’re going to keep on keeping on.”