Class 2 Regional Preview and Players to Watch

<p>VHSL Regional Playoffs kick off this week with teams continuing their journey towards a state championship. This non-traditional season is even more nontraditional with only one representative from each region getting to the state tournament as opposed to both finalists making it in years past. There will also be no centralized location for the state tournament this season to help alleviate the potential Covid exposure. Several perennial powerhouses continue their dominance with several upstarts trying to make a name for themselves. The state is broken up into 4 regions: designated A, B, C, and D within the 6 Classes of schools based on enrollment. Class 2 has some premium talent and here are the matchups and potential impact players.</p> <p>Class 2A: Poquoson, a perennial power is back at it with the one seed. They are the state runner up from last season, battling thru three hard fought matches to fall just short in the state finals. Senior MH/OH [player_tooltip player_id="111374" first="Chloe" last="Dupuis"] hopes to close out her career with a championship in her final season before play collegiately for East Tennessee State. Dupuis and Outside Hitter Lauren Hagen will be major role players for the Islanders in their quest for the elusive ring. They will play the winner of Monday’s quarterfinal between host King William and Windsor. King William<img class="alignleft" src="https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/172735267_466650287982218_1841666217883249114_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&amp;ccb=1-3&amp;_nc_sid=ae9488&amp;_nc_ohc=XHl_uC1OjVcAX_FCxRq&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&amp;oh=62b5c5e0409f6231ae5ba84ec7edd501&amp;oe=609A5526" alt="No description available." width="205" height="364" /> is led by Senior Attacker Addie Johnson who leads the team in Kills, Digs, and Hitting Percentage. Juniors Ashlee Foster and Emma Anderson will also be pivotal players for the Cavaliers. Bruton travels to #2 seed Nottoway and expects big performances from Senior Megan Hicks and Sophomore Mia Hayes. The undersized outsides have a bog challenge in front of them with Nottoway having a strong season. Amelia could be a sleeper to challenge Poquoson this season with a team loaded with seniors and some younger players to watch as well. They will be hosting Randolph Henry April 12 at 6pm, which will also be their senior night. Amelia seniors Hailey Patterson (Libero), Meghan Zerick (Setter), Hanna Morrison (OH) Emily Dunnavant (OH) and Kalli Walsh (OH) will be honored prior to the match. The players who could have a major impact include Junior Opposite Hailey Stokes who is one of the team’s most consistent attackers. The other under the radar player is Freshman Middle Hitter Emma Caudill. Caudill is the tallest player on the team and should develop into a solid college prospect. She is one of the leaders in kills and blocks as a freshman and is developing into a very solid performer for the Raiders. </p> <p>Class 2B: Luray is the top seed in Region 2B and will take on Madison County in Semifinal #1. Clarke County host East Rockingham in Semifinal #2. Both matches will start April 13 at 7pm with the Finals happening at the higher seed April 15 at 7pm. Luray is led by District Player of the Year Brynlee Burrill. The 5’8 Junior is a dual sport star for Luray. Baylee Burrill, Trinity Belton, Lindsay Bly and Jaidyn McClung were also named to the All District Team. Madison County fell in the State Semifinals last season and hopes to make a run for the ring again this season. Clarke County is led by <span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> 1st Team All District Players: Setter Alyssa Hoggat, Middle Hitter Bella Stem and Libero  Natalia Rodriguez and </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">2nd Team All District: Middle Hitter Abby Peace. </span></p> <p>Class 2C: This is the largest bracket in Class 2 with 13 teams with top seeded Glenvar. They will host the winner of #8 Chatham versus #9 Radford. Gretna is the 5 seed and hosts #12 Allegheny. Giles is the #4 seed and will h<img class="size-medium wp-image-132934 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2021/02/IMG_1118-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />ost #13 Fort Chiswell in a battle of southwest Virginia teams. Patrick County is the 2 seed and also has a bye in the first round and will play the winner of the #7 Nelson County versus #10 Dan River. The 6 seeded Floyd County hosting #11 James River. The winner will take on #3 seeded Appomattox. All first round matches will be April 13 and Quarterfinals will be April 14. The semifinals will be April 15 and the finals April 17. Glenvar is loaded with talented upperclassmen with Middle Hitters Rhyan Harris and Sydney Loder being big keys for the team on offense and defense. If the passing is solid, Glenvar will be a tough team to beat. Floyd County is expecting big things from Middle Hitter Olivia Hylton and Outside Hitter Jaycee Chafin. Patrick County will need Junior Middle Hitter Suzanne Gonzalez to continue to carry the load for the Cougars. Appomattox County needs their talented quartet to continue their strong play in their pursuit of the championship. Sophomore Kaydence Gilbert and Junior Madison Shirey carry the load offensively. Seniors Abbey Mann (Libero) and Cameron Womack (Setter) provide leadership for the team. Giles has an extremely talented and veteran group who could make a run this season with Libero [player_tooltip player_id="111407" first="Jillian" last="Midkiff"], Setter Alyssa Pennington and Outside Hitters [player_tooltip player_id="111385" first="Emma" last="Claytor"] and [player_tooltip player_id="111383" first="Hannah" last="Steele"] could all be significant contributors to the Spartans. </p> <p><img class="alignleft" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/rms-rmfiles-production/client_photos/athlete_3343679_profile.jpg" alt="[player_tooltip player_id=" />Class 2D: Gate City takes the top seed and host Richlands. Marion hosts John S Battle. Virginia High hosts Union and Lebanon will travel to Wise Central with all Quarterfinals April 12 and Semifinals the following day at the higher seed. The finals will be played at the higher seed on April 15 at 6pm. Gate City is having a monster season with the team averaging 19 earned points per set (kills + aces + blocks). Freshman Makayla Bays is the top hitter on the team as an Outside Hitter, but they have a balanced attack with Juniors Brylee Holder and Lauren Meade and Sophomore Rylee Hall. John Battle is led offensively by Senior Attacker Logan Leonard and Sophomore Molly Little. Wise County Central Senior Setter surpassed 1000 assists in the District Playoffs. </p> <div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p>