Expect the Unexpected Turns True in Virginia State Finals

There were a few matches that went as expected, however for the most part there were a number of unexpected results. Twists and turns I never would have expected. Below is a summary of the Virginia state championship results for each class.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 6 - West Springfield Shocks Colgan</h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/11/Anna-Dierks-WSHS-State-Champ-Trophy.jpeg?w=514" alt="" class="wp-image-909726" style="width:315px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: [player_tooltip player_id='438046' first='Anna' last='Dierks']</figcaption></figure>   Colgan came out on fire in this match taking the first two sets 25-14, 25-12. Since this was the first championship match ever played by West Springfield the nerves may have been bouncing. Someone in the gym may have been riding a bicycle and took a tumble (think of the movie "Yesterday") and the thoughts of the first two matches were erased. West Springfield turned things around to win the last three sets 25-17, 25-22, 15-10. The Spartans captured their first Virginia state championship with a tremendous comeback.   Last year the Spartans earned a trip to the semi-finals using the right arm of Evelyn Jurden. Setter [player_tooltip player_id='438046' first='Anna' last='Dierks'] didn't really need to run an offense. Evelyn dictated the offense, accounting for more than 50 percent of the Spartan kills. Last year in the semi-final match against eventual champion Langley Jurden accounted for 23 of the 38 kills. Langley still won in three. West Springfield finished with a 30-2 record with their second loss coming in the semi-final.   When the season ended Jurden finished with 601 of the Spartans 1074 kills. Evelyn ranked as one of the most prolific hitters in the Virginia area for kills. Only [player_tooltip player_id='452562' first='Sophie' last='Taylor'] (742) and Cambre Phillips (633) produced more. As a cautionary tale, Evelyn tore her ACL at the beginning of the club season. As a result she will red shirt her first season in college.   This year [player_tooltip player_id='438046' first='Anna' last='Dierks'] dictated the offense though it did not start off well. She sprained her ankle early in the season and was sidelined wearing a boot for three weeks. Mealea Menh and Saniyah Sadler ran a 6/2 in her absence. The duo did not lose a match during her absence, running an offense not that familair to them. The second time I watched West Springfield play Anna was just coming back from her ankle injury. The Spartans took her out in the front row with Saniyah used as a second setter. Once her ankle returned to health the Spartans went back to a 5/1.   The only two losses for the Spartans all year came against Langly and Yorktown. The Yorktown loss occurred in a three set match. After that loss West Springfield went on to sweep eleven of their next 12 matches. With Dierks back running the offense the Spartans seemed to be on a roll. This year she shared the wealth.   Instead of having a 6'2" right side who hit at a success rate of over 40 percent she relied on two smaller left sides under 6 feet in [player_tooltip player_id='354086' first='Nina' last='Schweigert'] and [player_tooltip player_id='693144' first='Layla' last='Babiker'] with a success rate not quite 40 percent but still effective.. She did have a 6'2" middle in [player_tooltip player_id='720348' first='Milena' last='Kibret'] who had a success rate of over 40 percent, mixing her in the offense. Nina and Milena were the top two in kills while Layla was number four.   What was surprising is that right side [player_tooltip player_id='890257' first='Ryleigh' last='McGowen'] was number three in kills. Last year she did not make the team. After all, they had Anna setting a 5/1 and Evelyn for a right side. There was no place for her to play. In the state championship match she rose to the occasion leading the team in kills with 15, with only two hitting errors. [player_tooltip player_id='354086' first='Nina' last='Schweigert'] finished second in kills with 14. A player they put in starting the third set Jessica McMahon found herself third in kills with seven. During the regular season she only played in one third of the sets, however her enthusiasm energized the team, so she stayed in for the last three sets.   Libero [player_tooltip player_id='725456' first='Audrey' last='Busch'] played a critical role in the Spartan success this year. She scooped up twice as many digs as she did the previous season. She was one of my sleepers to watch in these state playoff matches. That turned into a nice prediction with her 27 digs and 6 assists. [player_tooltip player_id='438046' first='Anna' last='Dierks'] finished with 36 assists, 17 digs and 5 blocks, two of them solo. [player_tooltip player_id='720348' first='Milena' last='Kibret'] led the team in blocks with 6.   West Springfield again finished with a 30-2 record, similar to last season but their final match was a win against Colgan. That 30-2 record tastes so much better.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 5 - Riverside wins Finals Rematch Against Kellam</h2>   This match carried all the wrappings of an upset. Last year Riverside swept Kellam, but Kellam played poorly in that match. For this year they hoped to play much better to achieve a different result. After their first set win of 25-21 the upset thoughts began appearing. Unfortunately for Kellam the Rams crew would have none of that.   With a veteran senior roster of [player_tooltip player_id='301696' first='Nadiya' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='333651' first='Sydney' last='Ray'], [player_tooltip player_id='377335' first='Mackenzie' last='Davis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='333652' first='Gabriella' last='Vizek'] they turned things around, winning the last three sets 25-14, 25-19 and 25-16. For Kenzie this championship had to be the sweetest. She took the season off last year and missed the championship celebration. This year she got her opportunity to celebrate. She will attend Christopher Newport next year.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 4 - James Wood Wins Their Fourth Straight State Championship</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='181302' first='Kennedy' last='Spaid'] and [player_tooltip player_id='181280' first='Brenna' last='Corbin'] are like Batman and Robin. You can guess who Batman would be. Perhaps they have their own super hero meme. They came to James Wood four years ago earning a starting spot on the varsity team. James Wood had yet to win a state championship. With the super hero duo both hitting outside (the 5'5" [player_tooltip player_id='181280' first='Brenna' last='Corbin'] is normally a libero) James Wood defeated Grafton for their first championship.   The duo led James Wood to two more championships. Now that they were seniors the Colonels faced Loudoun County in the championship match. This was the same Loudoun County that had won 16 of 17 championships prior to James Wood winning their first in 2022. The Captains were rebuilding that year stocking up with young players including Region 4c player of the year [player_tooltip player_id='249330' first='Charlotte' last='Arrington'] and first teamer [player_tooltip player_id='377334' first='Josephine' last='Seekford']. This year seemed to carry a different vibe.   In 2023 Loudoun County returned to the state bracket championship but James Wood swept them in the first round. They reached the semi-finals last year only to lose to Courtland in four. This year they beat Grafton in five in the semi-finals to reach the finals.   The two teams that had won 19 of the last 20 state championships in Class 4 were now playing in the finals. It seemed ripe for the upset. However, the duo of [player_tooltip player_id='181302' first='Kennedy' last='Spaid'] and [player_tooltip player_id='181280' first='Brenna' last='Corbin'] would not be denied. They did not wish to have their senior season end without their fourth state championship. James Wood won the first two sets 25-21, 25-15.   Loudoun County still carried some pep in them. They took the third set 25-19. James Wood would not be denied, taking the fourth set 25-18. [player_tooltip player_id='181280' first='Brenna' last='Corbin'] actually took on the Batman role for this match, leading the team in kills with 20. The amazing 5'5" libero finished with a hitting percentage of .381. [player_tooltip player_id='181302' first='Kennedy' last='Spaid'] fell right behind her with 18 kills. Brenna also led the team in digs, doing what she does best with 26 digs. Kennedy finished second with 14. The Colonels do not play with a libero however that did not stop frosh defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id='877848' first='Macie' last='Hewitt'] from scrapping up 13 digs. [player_tooltip player_id='621440' first='Kylee' last='Plumb'] and [player_tooltip player_id='720415' first='Bella' last='Middleton'] shared in the setting duties, achieving 19 and 16 assists respectively.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 3 - Abingdon Takes Down Undefeated Christiansburg</h2>   Another match that seemed ripe for an upset and an upset it was. Although Abingdon has reached the final four 11 times during their history they have won just one state championship way back in 1983. The last time Abingdon earned a place in a final four match came in 2006. Abingdon came into the state championship 26-3, with all three of their losses coming against Christiansburg.   On the other side, Christiansburg had yet to win a state championship. However, they came into this match undefeated with three wins over Abingdon. It appeared a first championship was in their grasp. Unfortunately for the Blue Demons, it was not meant to be. The Falcons won the first set 27-25 setting the tone for this match. The Blue Demons bounced back to win the second set 25-20. Abingdon was not to be denied. They grabbed the last two sets 25-20, 25-21.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 2 - Radford Sends Fort Defiance their First Loss </h2>   Fort Defiance came into the match undefeated. Radford only experienced one loss. It came against Class 1 state champion Giles in the second match of the season. Radford won the first two sets 25-19, 25-20. Fort Defiance carried the third set 25-16. In the fourth set Radford was able to pull it out 25-23.   [player_tooltip player_id='720606' first='Maecy' last='Frizzelle'] led Fort Defiance in kills with 27 while also pulling together 23 digs..   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class 1 - Giles Defeats Middlesex for Second State Championship </h2>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/11/sophie-taylor-with-trophy.jpg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-909850" style="width:402px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: [player_tooltip player_id='452562' first='Sophie' last='Taylor']</figcaption></figure>   Giles last championship came in 2020. They were a class 2 team then. Since moving down to Class 1 they had yet to win a state championship. Auburn had won the last six years. This year Giles was able to beat Auburn in the semi-finals, after losing to them the previous three years.   Middlesex came into the finals with a 15 match winning streak. Giles came into the finals with a shorter nine match winning streak. Giles defined the match by coming out hot, taking the first set 25-5. This set the tone as they won their next two sets 25-15, 25-16 to win their first Class 1 state championship that they can place next to their 2020 class 2 state championship. Despite winning player of the year the previous two seasons [player_tooltip player_id='452562' first='Sophie' last='Taylor'] had yet to win a championship. Winning it during her senior season was a nice end to her high school career. Now it is on to Ole Miss.

There were a few matches that went as expected, however for the most part there were a number of unexpected results. Twists and turns I never would have expected. Below is a summary of the Virginia state championship results for each class.