River Hill junior middle hitter Noya Offrum rose high above the net with the Hawks up two sets and at match point. Offrum lifted her right hand and hit the ball off a diving Reservoir libero for the match-sealing kill.
She smiled ear-to-ear and delivered a Michael Jordan shrug as the Hawks closed out a tightly contested 30-28, 25-23, 25-21 sweep of the ninth-ranked Gators.
“It felt so good,” Offrum said of the match-point celebration. “Knowing that it was such a tight game, Reservoir’s been our rival for so long and we’ve been preparing so hard, so just knowing that I could get the final point, it made me feel so good.”
The battle between two of Howard County’s top teams was neck-and-neck throughout, which made the first set particularly pivotal. Reservoir held a 23-20 lead and appeared poised to take the early advantage.
However, the Hawks mounted a rally and won five of the next six points to take a 25-24 lead. The teams traded points until River Hill’s Gianna LaGuardia delivered an ace to give the underdog Hawks the first set.
From there, the mentality was simple: keep pushing and building momentum. The Hawks (5-1, 3-0 Summit Division) embraced the underdog role and motivated one another to keep the energy rolling. Outside hitter Kristin Ama and libero Josie Calhoun spearheaded that, constantly communicating with teammates throughout the court.
“We think upsetting these teams that are ranked high shows us that we’re proceeding and that we have perseverance,” Ama said. “No matter what people think of us, or what the crowd thinks of us, it matters that our club and our team energy is right there. Our synergy is right there. No matter what they think, we have our own mindset and we’re going to keep pushing with that through the court.”
Eerily similar to the first set, River Hill trailed by three in the late stages of the second. The Hawks once again showcased their composure and rallied from a 19-16 deficit to take a 20-19 lead. It remained a one-point game until Mia Parks delivered an emphatic kill, giving the Hawks a 2-0 match lead.
In that brief break between sets, Ama gathered her teammates and delivered a passionate message where she encouraged them to keep on pushing and not let up. The junior backed up her words with several energetic kills.
River Hill once again displayed its composure in the third. The Hawks excelled during some of the biggest pressure points with Reservoir furiously attempting a comeback. Tied at 17, the Hawks won six of the next seven points to take a 23-18 lead.
“They have to take the pressure points and use them to make sure that this doesn’t happen again,” Reservoir coach Carole Ferrante said as her team fell to 4-1. “You have to put your best foot forward no matter what the circumstances are.”
River Hill’s poise on those pressure points is a sign in their collective maturation. In prior seasons, the Hawks had a tendency to squander big leads and falter in some of the match’s biggest moments.
Yet, on Thursday, the Hawks showcased their resilience in playing their best in important moments. To sustain success moving forward, River Hill knows that characteristic needs to remain.
It will surely be tested as the Hawks are embarking on a challenging five-game stretch, facing much improved Atholton and Guilford Park teams as well as 2A state finalist Centennial and Howard County runner-up Glenelg.
“I’m excited for what’s coming,” River Hill coach Lynn Paynter said. “We’ve been working on our tempo. I think it’s kind of coming together, figuring out which kids work best together. I think we’ve got some heavy hitters down the line. We’re River Hill, we’re going up the hill. Each climb may be a little harder, but if we keep working, we’ll get on top of that hill.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.