HOT START: Keystone dominates from net to service line in season-opening volleyball victory over rival Redbank Valley

Keystone sophomore and outside hitter Isabella Brandon had a strong start to the season in the Panthers’ win over Redbank Valley.

KNOX, Pennsylvania (EYT) – Isabella Brandon placed her bandaged left hand in the middle of the group and smiled.

Her bruised thumb — not a serious injury — was about the only thing that went wrong for Keystone’s sophomore outside hitter on a sweltering night in her home gym on Tuesday.

The only thing hotter than the conditions indoors was Brandon from the net to the service line.

She dominated the entire field against rival Redbank Valley with nine kills, three aces, nine digs and eight service points as the Panthers opened the season with a 25-14, 25-17, 25-11 sweep.

Brandon’s combination of power and placement shone, as did Ava Patrick in goal for Keystone with seven kills.

Katie Altvatter also had a great evening with three kills, five digs, twelve assists and three aces.

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“It was great,” Brandon said with a grin. “I loved working with my teammates. I loved competing. I loved playing on the first team. Last season I didn’t play on the first team that much – I played mostly on the junior team. I’ve been playing since junior high and I’ve really worked on my hitting. I’ve been trying to improve my hitting so I can be on the first team this year.”

Keystone’s attack on Redbank Valley was relentless.

The Panthers were only behind in the second set with 3:2 and in the third with 1:0. They won all three games comfortably.

It was a welcome debut for new Keystone coach Kayla McConnell, who is also Brandon’s mother.

“Now I can breathe a sigh of relief,” McConnell said with a laugh. “I’m happy with tonight. I really tried to maintain what we had and just keep going and find ways to improve. I want them to keep moving forward. Redbank made me nervous tonight because they’re a competitive team.”

But it was a tough night for the Bulldogs, who never really got into their rhythm in their season opener.

Communication was a problem.

“It definitely wasn’t a good game from the start,” Redbank Valley coach Ashley Anderson said. “They didn’t communicate well and honestly we were just better than the others. Keystone came out swinging. We knew this was coming because we played them last Thursday. We knew it was coming, but we just weren’t quite prepared for it.”

Taylor Ripple had four kills and ten digs for the Bulldogs.

Addy Bond competed in six digs.

An unsung hero for Keystone was Addison Say, who did many things well for the first time as a player in the six-man rotation.

Say had three kills, two blocks, three aces, four digs and nine assists in her all-around match.

“Addy has the athleticism and the endurance, even though she didn’t have much experience playing all six rotations last year,” McConnell said. “Any time I ask her if we need to work on it or change something, she’s right on it and usually gets it done after two or three practices. She likes a challenge.”

The message is the same for both teams.

It’s just a game. One of many.

“We have to keep working,” McConnell said. “When I talked to them, I told them we have a generational curse here. Keystone likes to start slow. I said, ‘Can we find a way to get rid of that generational curse?’ I don’t know if we’ve quite accomplished that goal yet. It was a nice improvement from being seven points down at the start of a game or starting slow at the start of the season.”

Anderson’s message was that one game is not fatal. There is a lot to correct, but there is also a lot of volleyball left to play.

“This doesn’t define us,” Anderson said. “This isn’t who we are as a team. It’s all uphill from here. Correct the mistakes tomorrow at practice and keep going.”