The coach and players will tell you they never expected it.
Thursday’s victory over Grafton in the Region I semifinals guaranteed it.
Jamestown’s volleyball team will be heading back to the Group AA state tournament again this fall after defeating their arch-rival Clippers in three games, 25-18, 25-14, 25-22, Thursday night at Jamestown High.
With the victory, Jamestown will host New Kent – which outlasted Courtland in five games Thursday – on Saturday for the Region I championship. Both will advance to next week’s state tournament, with the winner hosting their opening-round opponent.
The Eagles (26-2) lost a total of seven seniors from last year’s group that guided Jamestown to VCU’s Siegel Center for the final four of the state tournament before falling to Cave Springs in the championship.
“It’s beyond words,” Jamestown coach Tom Stephenson said after the game. “At the beginning of the season, as coaches, we knew what we had lost. We knew we could be good, but did we didn’t necessarily expect to get back [to states].
“We were going to have to work twice as hard, and I give all the credit to these girls.”
Added junior setter Monique St. Cyr, who turned in a dominant all-around performance with 19 assists, 8 kills, 6 digs and 4 aces, “I didn’t think we’d be back in this position after losing seven seniors. We just believed, and it feels amazing.”
Stephenson’s “core four” of senior all-state hitter Briana Sutton (10 kills, 7 digs) and juniors St.Cyr, Kelly Esch (14 digs, 9 kills) and Victoria Bowen (7 digs, 4 aces) all had big moments, but St. Cyr seemed to be the difference-maker each game.
During a back-and-forth opening set, St. Cyr made a huge solo block on Grafton (18-6) star hitter Ashley Lind and later spiked the game-winning kill to give the Eagles a 1-0 advantage. St.Cyr then opened Game 2 with nine straight service points to give the Eagles a commanding 9-1 lead that they never relinquished. In Game 3, St.Cyr capped off one of the strangest points she said she’d ever been a part of after Lind kicked the ball over the net, which led to St. Cyr laying out just under the net and somehow flipping the ball up and over for the uncanny kill.
“She was huge from the beginning to the end,” Stephenson said. “Her setting, her defense, her serving and her play at the net; it was all terrific. Kelly [Esch] played well, Tori [Bowen] played great, but [St.Cyr] was our catalyst tonight.”
Stephenson added that he felt his team’s execution was superb. He explained the objective was to attack the right side of the court where Grafton’s setter was releasing from and force her to set the ball across court so that the Eagles’ defense could lock up on the Clippers’ outside hitters, particularly the powerful arms of Lind and Kendal Mahoney.
Game 1 was back and forth until, with the two sides tied at 18-18, Bowen served seven consecutive points to give Jamestown a critical 25-18 early advantage.
“Tori [Bowen] was amazing tonight, especially with her serve,” St. Cyr said. “Winning the first game is always huge, especially against a team like Grafton, and [Bowen] gave us the early momentum.”
St. Cyr showed off her dominance from the service line in the second set after serving nine-consecutive points – three of which aces – to give Jamestown a commanding 9-1 lead. The Eagles held on to win 25-14.
Grafton appeared poised to turn things around in the third set – similar to the way the Clippers did two weeks ago in handing Jamestown its only district defeat of the season after trailing 2-0 – thanks to the serving of Delaney Davis and Sophia Beaudoin who helped Grafton out to an early 8-4 lead.
The turning point of the set came with Jamestown narrowly ahead 16-15 after Lind was forced to boot the ball over the net. After Bowen made a beautiful diving dig to save it, St. Cyr laid out and flipped the ball over the net from one of the tougher angles on the court.
“That really got us pumped up,” said St. Cyr after the Eagles held on for the clinching 25-22 victory.
While a return trip to states is already in the books, the Eagles still hope to enter the tournament in the same position as last fall- as the Region I champs. To do so, they’ll have to beat New Kent for the second time in a week on Saturday in the region final.
“We’re excited,” Esch said. “It’s the greatest feeling to prove to everyone else and ourselves that we could do it again. We’re just having fun right now.”
