SKIPWITH – The Cumberland High School volleyball team has been in head scratching mode for most of the season. On the cusp of playing as one of the better teams in the James River District, but not quite able to put everything together.

Thursday night's James River District Tournament quarterfinal match, a 3-0 loss to No. 2 seed Bluestone, wasn't much different. The Dukes played the Barons close in two of the three sets (25-18, 25-14, 25-20) but were unable to deal the knockout punch.

“It's been like that all season,” said CHS head coach Heather Sutton. “Something has been missing, and I think it's that player that nothing rattles her, and when things get tough she puts the team on her back until they can get their confidence back again.

“Instead, it becomes more like dominos. When we have one thing go wrong, it's followed by another and then another. It doesn't always have to be the same person to answer the call every night, but the best teams have someone who will step up and be the emotional leader.”

A closely played first set was followed by a big win by Bluestone. A block by Taylor Parker pulled Cumberland to within three points at 8-5, but the Barons rattled off eight of the next nine points to take a comfortable lead. The play of Bluestone senior hitter Carmen Sturdifen on the front line helped the hosts establish their large lead.

Cumberland kept things close in the third set. The Dukes fell behind 11-7, before scoring three straight points off of two aces by Kamren Gilliam to close to within a point at 11-10, and scored another three straight to take a 13-12 lead. A hard shot by Cassie Martin put CHS back in front 14-13.

Bluestone jumped back out to a 17-14 lead, before Parker and Ivy Arbaugh scored three consecutive points to tie the set at 17 apiece. An ace by Parker put CHS back in front at 19-18. With a 20-19 lead, Cumberland appeared to have gone up by two points, but a CHS player was in the net, which gave BS the point and the momentum. Cumberland was never able to recover, as the Barons scored the final six point.

“We are a team of volleyball players,” said Sutton. “That's what these girls do, for the most part. They aren't all-around athletes that excel at all sports because of their kinesthetic abilities. They play volleyball. They are built like volleyball players.”

Cumberland had just two seniors on the team, Mackenzie Parker and Kamren Gilliam.

“We will miss them. They both have qualities that will be hard to replace, but we do have a big majority of our team returning next season. Our goal in the offseason will be to find that one thing we are missing. It's more mental than physical. The physical part is there. We must find that mental part.”