Saxons, Rams and Colonels Take State Titles

Two repeats and one first time. Two matches that went to five sets and one sweep. Plus, in the class 1-3 playoffs they were all sweeps. They also had two repeats and one first timer. Details below.   Frosh Top Performer Wins it for Langston    At our Prep Dig Expo in August we identified Rujuta as a top performer. She proved that in the state championship match in the fifth set. With Langley up 14-13 she got the set, swung hard and hit it off the block for the game winning match point. That is a huge achievement for a frosh.   Especially when you consider the last time Langley played Chantilly she struggled and eventually got pulled from the game after the second set to play back row only. Chantilly beat Langley to get the number one seed in the State finals.   The coach still had confidence in her and put her in to start in the finals. Rujuta showed no fear producing deep kills into the corner, placing a hard hit down the line and tipping balls short. She does things you don't expect to see from a frosh, knowing the court like a veteran.      Score: Langley Over Chantilly - 21-25, 25-23, 25-15, 14-25, 15-13   MVP of the Match: [player_tooltip player_id='554770' first='Rujuta' last='Singh']. The frosh powered the final point of the game through the Chantilly two person block for the match point 15-13. In the second set she also placed a kill into deep area 6 to give the Saxons a 24-22 lead. They eventually would go on to win 25-23. Overall, I counted her for at least 20 kills in the match.   Other Langley players who stood out: [player_tooltip player_id='238357' first='Claire' last='Mo']. She did an excellent job of setting, although she seemed to lesson her use of [player_tooltip player_id='181298' first='Ana' last='Toumazatos'] on offense. There were times where she went three straight back sets to [player_tooltip player_id='663202' first='Vivian' last='Nitowski']. She could not do that with [player_tooltip player_id='554770' first='Rujuta' last='Singh'] since she was right side during that time. She also strung together a six point service run in set three to put the Saxons on top 14-8.   [player_tooltip player_id='181298' first='Ana' last='Toumazatos'] - Normally she gets about 30 to 40 swings a match. This seemed to be tapered down a bit. She still got some key kills and strung together a 9 point serving run in the fifth set which put them ahead 13-8. In that run she tallied three aces. Even if she was nursing an injury she clearly stands out as the spiritual leader of this team and her presence on the court remains crucial. In a match that big I would have liked to have seen her set more.   Chantilly Players who stood out: [player_tooltip player_id='181297' first='Lameen' last='Mambu'] was the person the Chargers went to when they needed a key point. She strung together close to 20 kills and 7 blocks by my count. Even a boy's team that was playing after the Class 6 championship game were impressed by her hits to the floor.   [player_tooltip player_id='455102' first='Erin' last='Green'] - Erin can hit from both the right and left side. She got into double digit kill territory. She raised her game over the club season last year.   [player_tooltip player_id='377344' first='Julia' last='Horan'] - Because Langley blockers were focusing on the pins Julia succeeded with a number of quick tempo sets in the middle. She also put up an effective block, rejecting six attempted Saxon kills.   Key Moments - In the second set, with the Langley up 24-23 [player_tooltip player_id='181297' first='Lameen' last='Mambu'] tried to one hand stuff a kill into the deep corner down the line. The up ref made a gutsy lift call which ended the set. If no call had been made the score would have been 24-24. With Chantilly up 1-0 and now earning the serve that was a key moment in the match. Not saying it was an incorrect call but other officials may not have called it.   Rams Win Their First State Championship with a Dominating Performance Over Kellam    Last year Riverside lost to First Colonial in the finals of the state championship. It was their only loss of the season. They started out slow with Brianna and Syndey Ray having trouble connecting with the tempo sets and the pin hitters struggling to keep the ball in the court.   This year the Rams seemed focused to erase those memories from last year. With the addition of [player_tooltip player_id='301696' first='Nadiya' last='Johnson'] on the right side and Brianna and Sydney connecting in the middle, along with [player_tooltip player_id='333652' first='Gabriella' last='Vizek']. Kellam was no match for Riverside.   It was a block party as the Kellam hitters had trouble hitting it past the Rams block of [player_tooltip player_id='181309' first='Brianna' last='Holladay'] and [player_tooltip player_id='333652' first='Gabriella' last='Vizek'].    Score: Riverside over Kellam 25-17, 25-15, 25-17   MVP of the Match: The middles for the Rams, especially [player_tooltip player_id='181309' first='Brianna' last='Holladay'] overmatched the Kellam middles. They carried the size advantage and brought superior power with their kills. Because Kellam rarely set their middles Riverside could key on the pins.   Other Riverside Players Who Stood Out - Sometimes when the offense is clicking the setter does not get too much credit. [player_tooltip player_id='333651' first='Sydney' last='Ray'] distributed her sets to all points of the court but kept her middles active. Unlike last year, she did not miss on many quick tempo sets in the middle.   [player_tooltip player_id='301696' first='Nadiya' last='Johnson'] - It puzzles me that Nadiya only made second team in the Region. She flies high over the net and every time I watch this team play she buries her fair share of kills to the floor. She appeared to be the go to person every time Riverside needed a point. Riverside did rotate her out of the back row after her serve. She does a nice job of changing the velocity to her serves, sometimes going soft and short while other times deep and fast.   [player_tooltip player_id='464556' first='Kennedy' last='Peyton'] - The sophomore may be their best defensive player and one of their better passers. She fails to hit with the velocity of many left sides, but she seems to find the floor of the court with great consistency. She accumulated six kills in the first set to put the sweep engine in motion.   [player_tooltip player_id='438070' first='Camryn' last='Coulther'] - Her passing always keeps the Rams in system. That is a good thing, especially when you are stacked with hitters. Moves quickly in the back row.   Kellam Players Who Stood Out - [player_tooltip player_id='484751' first='Riley' last='Erwin'] accumulated a number of kills from the right side. The Riverside block did a good job of silencing [player_tooltip player_id='246936' first='Audriana' last='Neal'] and [player_tooltip player_id='484970' first='Sofia' last='Barnes']. Her left handed swing from the right side or the middle of the court was difficult to stop.   Key Moments - They were lacking. Riverside jumped out to big early leads and always held them.   Corbin Leads Colonels to a Three Peat    At 5'5 it is hard to believe she brings so much success to the left side. Her spikes do not travel with a lot of velocity, but they always end up finding the floor untouched. Even though the velocity is slow she has the ability to change speeds with her hits to keep the defenders off balance.   Set three was a particularly important win for the Colonels to put them up 2-1 in sets. Brenna scored all five points at the end of a 30-28 win with a wide variety of shots that eventually hit the floor. Whether it involves using the hands of the blocker or just finding an empty area of the court she found success.   She finished the match with 21 kills.    Final Score - James Wood over Courtland 25-17,23-25, 30-28, 17-25 and 15-10   MVP of the Match: [player_tooltip player_id='181280' first='Brenna' last='Corbin']. In the third set of their 30-28 win over Courtland the last five points were the result of kills by Brenna to various areas of the court, including the set winner. She finished with 21 kills. She also was able to get her 5'5" frame over the net and tally up two solo blocks.   Other Players from James Wood who stood out - [player_tooltip player_id='181302' first='Kennedy' last='Spaid'] - Her 25 kills were more than Brenna, but they were more spread out in the three sets. The two also set up in a two person passing setup, taking up much of the court as if they were playing doubles on the beach. James Wood does not play with a libero. They rely on Corbin and Spaid to do the majority of passing.   [player_tooltip player_id='621440' first='Kylee' last='Plumb'] - There were a lot of questions at the start of the season about the setting position. Two seniors who had carried the team to back to back state championships had graduated. Kylee stepped in as a sophomore and for the most part set a 5/1. On occasion they used frosh Bella Middletown to gain some experience. Kylee dished out 50 assists and won her first state championship.   [player_tooltip player_id='320815' first='Tenley' last='Mattison'] - Other than left side [player_tooltip player_id='181302' first='Kennedy' last='Spaid'], Tenley is the other player with height. James Wood does not use a libero because they have confidence that Tenley can play back row.   Other Players from Courtland who stood out - [player_tooltip player_id='397536' first='Aubrey' last='Parker'] set a 5/1 in the Virginia Volley Showcase early in the season. For this match she shared the setting duties with Kayla Marin. [player_tooltip player_id='397536' first='Aubrey' balllast='Parker'] stays in the front row to hit right side. She shows effectiveness when she places kills down the line.   [player_tooltip player_id='248660' first='Juliana' last='Velez'] -She played the libero position well. The Colonels are good at spraying the ball to all areas of the court. Juliana brings the quickness and hustle to cover those areas well.   [player_tooltip player_id='246318' first='Maddie' last='Smith'] - A large part of the Courtland offense hung on the shoulders of [player_tooltip player_id='246318' first='Maddie' last='Smith']. At 6'0" she brings good height to the left side position. In this match she did not play back row.   [player_tooltip player_id='397539' first='Carolina' last='Eastlake'] - Another solid left side hitter. She also brings some height at 6'0"   Key Moments - A number of questioned calls by the officials. In the second set Courtland carried a 24-23 lead. The pass went high and tight to the net. Kayla Marin jumped and tried to tip a set to the hitter with one hand but the ball carried over the net and dropped on the James Wood side of the floor. No call is made for a back row attack by the official, though I thought she went over the net. In the third set James Wood is up by one and a hit down the line is called out. The James Wood players run to the bench in celebration but the line official quickly changes her call from out to touch. Despite lots of discussion the serve goes to Courtland with the score tied. Fortunately, James Wood still came out on top 30-28.   Classes 1-3   Hidden Valley wins their second straight championship, sweeping Grafton. For Grafton this becomes their 11th second place finish. Ten of their losses in the final have come against either Loudoun County (8) or Hidden Valley (2). The other came against James Wood. [player_tooltip player_id='196556' first='Caleigh' last='Ponn'] (20) and [player_tooltip player_id='464576' first='Sophie' last='Arnold'] (15) combined for 35 kills.   Ridgeview won their first state championship, taking a sweep over Fort Defiance.   Auburn won in a sweep over Rappahannock. For Auburn that streak of state championships moves to six in a row.

Two repeats and one first time. Two matches that went to five sets and one sweep. Plus, in the class 1-3 playoffs they were all sweeps. They also had two repeats and one first timer. Details below.