A Bunch Of Maloney

Deep Run junior leads Wildcats to convincing win

Patrick Maloney, Deep Run, 9/13/07

by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond

Deep Run fed Patrick Maloney like he hadn’t eaten in a week in Thursday night’s volleyball match.

Set
after set went his way and Maloney ate every one up like it was his
last, leading the Wildcats to a convincing three-game win over Douglas
Freeman, 25-20, 25-18, 26-24.

Maloney, a 6-3 junior, delivered
**** after ****. When he didn’t hit an untouched ball, Freeman (0-1 Colonial
District, 4-3) had a tough time controlling it and it was a score for
Deep Run (1-0, 6-2) anyway.

“He’s a good all-around player,” said Kevin Pond, coach of the No. 4 Wildcats, as ranked in the latest DigitalSports Top 10.
“He’s only a junior. He’s still learning. It’s all mental. When his
head’s right, he’s definitely one of the best in the district.”

Maybe the Central Region.

Patrick Maloney posted 17 kills and 11 digs to pace Deep Run.

Maloney’s offerings, usually from backup setter Brian Fitzsimmons (34 assists), were hitting lines like Roger Federer groundstrokes.

For instance, after Freeman jumped out to a 6-1 advantage in the first game, outside hitter Maloney (17 kills, 11 digs, two aces, two blocks) had a hand in six of Deep Run’s next 10 points as the Wildcats tied the ninth-ranked Rebels.

The lead would change hands a few more times until middle Cam Farbotko posted a block and showed nice touch to the back line for an 18-14 advantage for the Wildcats.

“A lot of it was our defense,” Freeman coach Matt Colwell said. “We were slow today.”

The second game started off slow for Freeman as Maloney, Farbotko and Lucas Saunders (11 digs, six kills) covered every nook and cranny of Deep Run’s home court.

Deep Run took a 10-3 advantage, five points off of Maloney’s serve, to force a Freeman timeout. The Rebels tried to recover late but Deep Run kept its stranglehold.

Douglas Freeman coach Matt Colwell thought the Rebels didn’t play as well as they were capable defensively.

The third game was more of a back-and-forth matter that Freeman and Dustin Galbraith (five kills, 4 blocks) had control of at 24-22.

But Deep Run came up with two big blocks to save a point. Then Maloney posted a **** to tie it at 24.

Two points later, Maloney finished the Rebels with a **** to the left corner.

“A lot of is thanks to my setter Brian,” Maloney said. “He was pushing it out pretty well and putting it in the right spot.”

Said Pond of Fitzsimmons: “He’s our backup setter. We were also without our left outside John Grove. I think the best thing tonight was they came together. They did a great job of coming together as a group.”

Though Freeman hung tough, especially in the third game, the Rebels couldn’t sustain offense and couldn’t contain Deep Run’s.

“We just didn’t play as well as we could,” Colwell said. “A lot of that is a credit to Deep Run. They played great defense. There were five to six points each game that they earned and we didn’t.”

Perhaps the Wildcats were a little hungrier.

Douglas Freeman 20 18 24
Deep Run 25 25 26
Records: Douglas Freeman (0-1 Colonial, 4-3); Deep Run (1-0, 6-2)