A week after dominating the inaugural conference tournaments, Bay Rivers District volleyball teams are at it again.
Jamestown and Grafton, who met in last week’s Conference 19 championship game, will meet for the second time in seven days after both cruised to victories in the 4A South Region semifinals Tuesday night. Both have secured berths to next week’s 4A state tournament and will meet for the second time in seven days Thursday to decide the 4A Region South champion.
Warhill and Lafayette also appear poised to meet for a rematch of last week’s Conference 25 championship showdown. Both the Lions and Rams won their 3A Region East openers Tuesday and will play in the semifinals Thursday with a state-tournament berth on the line. Should both win Thursday, they’ll meet in Saturday’s region final.
Below is a rundown of Tuesday’s 4A South and 3A East region action:
REGION 4A SOUTH
Semifinals
Jamestown def. Churchland 25-5, 25-3, 25-6
Monique St. Cyr stood at the service line for the first 18 points of the second set, which is just one example of Jamestown’s dominance over visiting Churchland in Tuesday’s semifinal.
The Eagles, who were led by sisters Kelly (11 kills, eight digs, four aces) and Maria (10 kills, 12 digs) Esch, dominated all three sets before clinching a 3-0 victory in under an hour. The win guaranteed Jamestown a third-straight state tournament appearance, but first the Eagles will face Bay Rivers District rival Grafton in Thursday’s region final.
“It’s hard to beat a good team three times, not to mention four times in one season,” Jamestown coach Tom Stephenson said in regards to facing Grafton on Thursday. “Grafton will be out for blood, but both teams are going to states, and that was one of our main goals at the beginning of the season.”
Grafton def. Nansemond River 25-18, 25-23, 25-12
Christa Hall posted a strong all-around effort of 33 assists, seven aces, six digs, four kills and a pair of blocks to lead Grafton past Nansemond River 3-0 in the 4A South Region semifinals Tuesday.
Kendall Mahony added eight kills, five aces, five digs and four blocks for the Clippers, who guaranteed themselves a return to states for the first time in three seasons with the victory.
“Taking Grafton back to states for the first time in three years is a great feeling. … I couldn’t be happier,” Clippers’ first-year coach Karissa Cumberbatch said. “The girls have worked so hard throughout the season and haven’t taken a single day off from practice, and it’s paying off.”
As for facing a Jamestown team that has won the last six meetings between the two schools, Cumberbatch added, “Jamestown has always been great competition for us. We are always viewed as the underdogs going against [Jamestown] and that no longer bothers my team. We’ll go into Thursdays game knowing we need to keep the focus on us as a team, and competing at the highest level possible in order to be ready for the next step in the competition.”
Championship
Jamestown vs. Grafton, 7 p.m. Thursday, Jamestown High
REGION 3A EAST
Quarterfinals
Warhill def. John Marshall 25-3, 25-9, 25-3
Lafayette def. Armstrong 25-3, 25-5, 25-8
Semifinals
Loudoun Valley vs. Lafayette, 7 p.m. Thursday, Loudoun Valley High School
Warhill vs. Kettle Run, Thursday. Time and place TBD since both schools were conference champions.
Championship
Semifinal winners, Saturday
