While the weekend of April 25 may have marked the start of Prom Season, for Lindsay Von Herbulis’ CAV 17 Cyclone team prom weekend attire consisted not of pearls or corsages – but silver medals. The Cyclones, joined by fellow club members Laura Gomez, Sarah Harper, and Meg Carpenter (CAV 17 Young Guns) spent the weekend at the Revolutionary Rumble, an annual tournament held in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The first match of the tournament was against Glenvar Juniors. Strong serving during this match kept Glenvar out of the game, with the Cyclones taking the match 3-0.

Tougher competition was ahead as the Cyclones faced a very talented Roanoke 17 National team. Roanoke, with heavy opposition from the Cyclones, took the match 3-0.

Round two of pool play consisted of more of the same, with the Cyclones defeating Apex Volleyball Club 3-0 and dropping the match to WVC 17 Black 0-3.

Sunday morning, there was a little more at stake in the last round of pool play. If the Cyclones placed first in the pool, they would be in the Silver Division playoffs – marking a first of its kind for Von Herbulis in her solo coaching career.

“We were in game 1 against Chesapeake Crush, a team I hadn’t seen before. Sarah Harper served about 10 points in a row, prompting her teammates to say I’d owe her dinner if she served out the entire game,” Von Herbulis said. “Our momentum carried us through that pool. Even with some tough hitters from SWVJ, a team we faced several times last year, confidence levels were high and we couldn’t be touched. It was great to win that pool, especially going straight into playoffs.”

In Quarterfinals, the Cyclones faced RVC 17-R, taking those two games 25-15 and 26-24. Semifinals proved to be tougher competition when the Cyclones faced Florida Gold Coast. Cyclones took the match 26-24 and 25-17.

For the Championship game, the Cyclones faced TVA 17, a team with heavy hitters and tough servers. The Cyclones dropped both sets, 25-15 and 25-19.

“We had an outstanding weekend. Our defense, mainly consisting of Caitlin Smith, Brittany Parnell, and Sarah Harper, was amazing all weekend. Setters Shannon Bodkins and Meg Carpenter ran excellent plays and made some great connections with middle hitters Laura Gomez and Kate Puryear. We definitely couldn’t have made it very far without our consistent hitting from our outside and right side hitters – Cally Troutman and Harper on the outside, Emily Inzana and Alex Ordel on the right. They also racked up blocks with the middles. Our consistent and aggressive serving made it difficult for the other teams to run plays. All in all, these girls amazed me this weekend,” Von Herbulis said.

The Cyclones finished in 2^nd Place in the Silver Division and all players received medals and a team plaque. They complete their season Sunday May 4 with the Regional Tournament held in Hampton, Virginia.