The Atlee boys volleyball team continued their roll through the Capital District last Tuesday night with an impressive 25-11, 25-13, 25-15 sweep of visiting Lee-Davis.

  With the win, the Raiders moved to 15-2 overall and 10-0 in district play with only three matches remaining. Lee-Davis dropped to 7-9 overall but more importantly a Thursday night loss to Highland Springs dropped the Confederates to fifth among district teams with a 5-7 record and in danger of not reaching tournament play.

  For the past few seasons, Atlee has produced a plethora of recognizable faces on the district’s top teams but this season they have become a cast of unknowns seizing the spotlight.

  “You figure in the last two years prior to this we’ve basically replaced both starting lineups,” said Assistant Coach Andy Crane who was temporarily filling in for Atlee head coach Nick Robinson. “It’s a testament to the seniors on this team that they’ve waited in the wings to play. They’ve shown up for practice every day in those years and this year the rewards are paying off for them; a lot of different hitters; a lot of different passers.”

  But now, success from the group of virtual unknowns is no longer a surprise to Crane and the Atlee coaching staff. “I don’t think they’re surprising us now,” Crane said. “I think they surprised us early considering they didn’t have a lot of varsity experience. I think we expected that towards the end of the year we’d be a very solid, formidable team. I think where they surprised us is they were up and rolling from the beginning and have just continued to play better.” 

  Though untested, the players themselves were not surprised by what they have been able to accomplish. “We had high expectations coming into the season,” said senior setter Billy Dishman. “A lot of people doubted our abilities but we believed in ourselves and knew what we could accomplish this season.”

  Atlee wasted little time going to work against the Confederates, running out to a 10-4 lead in game one on the strength Rashan Winters, Isaac Mackey and Austin Martin, who finished the night with eight kills and three blocks.

  Lee-Davis momentarily stopped the bleeding with a kill and ace from Will Caudell but Atlee answered, widening the margin to 15-7 off two kills and a block from Mac Gray (8 kills, 3 blocks) and a reverse from Kevin Eye. Back to back kills from Matt Rohr gave Atlee a 17-8 lead and they went on to take game one 25-11.

  Game two proved to be somewhat tighter when Will Dowdy’s kill was followed by an Atlee hitting error to pull Lee-Davis within one, 8-7. But with the game close, the Raiders came alive to go on a 12-2 run leading to a 25-13 win.

  Throughout the evening, the character of the Atlee squad appeared to be loose and carefree regardless of how close the games became. “We just have a lot of people who like to have fun around volleyball,” Dishman said. “It’s not as tense as it was in past years and this year we’re just having a lot more fun.”

  It appeared game three would end quickly as Atlee raced out to an 8-1 lead off three kills from Gray and a block by Gray and Andrew Price.

  But Lee-Davis was not about to throw in the towel. Led by Dowdy, the Confederates went on a 6-2 run to pull within three, 10-7.

  Atlee answered with another run to take a 20-10 lead from where they closed out the match 25-15.

  Crane was especially pleased with the play of Dishman who finished the night with 28 assists and four aces.

  “He is the straw that stirs the proverbial drink,” Crane said. “He’s what makes us what we are because he’s a calming influence and it’s just nice. He’s solid. He deserves a serious look as Player of the Year in the district.”

  In a Monday night matchup that took place after press deadline, Atlee traveled to Hanover for a contest that could decide the district regular season champion. Hanover’s only district loss was at the hands of the Raiders and a win by the Hawks would most likely force a championship play off match.

Lee-Davis .......................... 11 13 15
Atlee…................................ 25 25 25

Highlights: Mac Gray (A) 8 kills, 3 blocks; Austin Martin (A) 8 kills, 3 blocks; Billy Dishman (A) 28 assists, 4 aces.
Records: Lee-Davis 5-6, 7-9 Capital; Atlee 15-2, 10-0