BLAKSVILLE — As the Trinity Christian serve crosses the net, senior Rachel Rosen takes her place in the front row.
Bump.
The ball makes contact with the first Clay-Battelle defender, and Rosen anticipates her opponent’s next move.
Set.
The Cee-Bees offense is in position, ready to send the ball back towards the Warriors. Rosen moves in sync with the hitter, eyes locked in on the ball.
Spike.
Rosen suddenly leaps, her lengthy six-foot frame forming an impenetrable wall at the net. Timing impeccable, Rosen rejects the Cee-Bee hit before it even breaches Warrior territory, sending it crashing to the court.
The Cee-Bees (7-5) likely have that sequence on repeat in their minds following a Tuesday night Mason-Dixon Conference matchup at Trinity, as Rosen imposed her will on the C-B offense to lead her team to a 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-12) victory.
“As a player, any tall player is always intimidating. If you have a tall player that’s also an athlete, that’s even better,” said Trinity coach Sarah Lasher.
“Rachel is an athlete. She can move, get to that ball, and put it down. She’s an intimidating force with your on the defensive side away from her.”
Rosen paced the Warriors with eight kills and four blocks, including three stuff blocks. Her presence would constantly send the Cee-Bees into a frenzy as they attempted to keep the ball out of her reach.
“We’ve just got to move the ball better. Several times we sent over passes just trying to get over her hands which came back down on us on the other side of the court,” said C-B coach Casey Rollins. “We have to be smarter about placing the ball and where we put the ball.”
Perhaps the biggest aspect of Rosen’s game is her timing, an aspect in which she excels. Just when it seems as if a hit might fly over her head or through her hands, she’ll be in mid-air, arms outstretched, negating even the strongest of offensive attacks.
“We’ve worked a lot on timing. We’ll do drills where she only blocks or where she only hits and the rest of the girls are playing defense off of her,” Lasher said. “It’s key for her, and as you can see, it’s key for the whole team. We base our defense around our blockers.”
Rosen discussed her size advantage, knack for timing, and how it all plays into the final result on the court.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that I’m tall for my age. I think sometimes it can intimidate people. I just try to play my best and put everything I can out there, and sometimes it works well for me,” she said.
The win keeps the Warriors tied with Paden City for first in the Mason-Dixon, each sharing conference losses to the other. Clay-Battelle drops to fourth in the conference as they pick up their fourth loss in league play.
“This kind of loss is upsetting, but that has to instill in them more dedication and a desire to work harder rather than let it defeat them,” Rollins said. “They can very easily go on that side as well.”
Kate Dlugos added eight kills for the Warriors in the win. Morgan Mullens tallied ten assists and seven aces. Hailey Carreon led C-B with seven kills, while Alexis Pride added ten assists.
