Varsity Volleyball: Knights and Falcons both in different situations, both look for win

By Ben Spector
Winning After MidKnight

 

The Middletown High School Knights varsity volleyball team and the Winters Mill Falcons are two teams in two very different situations.

Middletown (8-4) lost their first three games but went on a tear in recent games, racking up an eight game win streak over that time before a loss to the Linganore High School Lancers on October 16^th derailed it.

Winters Mill (7-5) has struggled with consistency as of late, going on a two game winning streak that was followed by a two game losing streak followed up by, you guessed it, another two game winning streak.

Both teams will look to rack up another win and help their playoff position when the Knights head to Westminster tonight to take on the Falcons at 6 p.m.

For Middletown, the occasional struggle during the first couple of games of the season was nothing new. Two games against tough non-conference opponents in North Hagerstown and Century had provided trouble in the past, so there wasn’t a great deal of concern.

The tripping point for Middletown would be a loss to the Tuscarora High School Titans. In a game filled with errors and mistakes Middletown could never seem to find their approach and struggled to win even one set, finally winning one but losing the match 3-1.

Things have been only positive for the Knights since then.

After a much needed day of rest, Middletown took out their anger on county powerhouse Urbana, beating them handily 3-1. The Urbana match would be the starting point for Middletown as everything seemed to go their way for a long time, including a win at the Patriots Invitational in mid September which saw the Knights take down state powerhouse Howard in the championship match.

Even though Middletown lost to Linganore, being swept 3-0, the Knights have gained some much needed confidence heading into the final games of the season and playoffs.

Winters Mill has undergone some changes this year and after a slow start has shown promise, even while lacking consistency that first year coach Kari Totten.

The Falcons used to be one of the toughest teams in Carroll County winning a county championship and putting up two 11+ win seasons over the past five years.

Player losses though have hurt Winters Mill, including former captains Elizabeth Hawkesworth and Parker Choplin, but the Falcons are still dangerous in a county and region that has been aching for a team to stake a claim as a true contender year after year.

Winters Mill has had big wins including a win over Century two games ago, but also has had big losses including a loss to the very beatable Liberty High School Lions.

Both teams realize the importance of this game and the importance of their situations, which may be not so different after all.