Last week, Warhill’s volleyball team had to rally from behind to beat crosstown nemesis Lafayette on their home court in the Conference 25 championship game.
The two sides met again Saturday in the 3A East Region final — a testament to quality of competition in the Bay Rivers District as Jamestown and Grafton also met in their respective 4A conference and region championship games — and Lions standout Alex Koon said the environment playing inside Warhill High in front of her team’s home crowd helped them gain momentum early.
It showed, as the Lions won the all-important first set and held on for a 4-1 (25-17, 19-25, 25-19, 25-16) victory in the inaugural 3A East Region Championship on Saturday.
By virtue of reaching the region final, both teams will advance to next week’s 3A state tournament at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center. But that did not stop the Lions from celebrating the second region title in school history.
“The Bay Rivers is proving to be one of the best district’s in the state,” Warhill coach Greg Koon said. “For [Warhill and Lafayette] to get past the Kettle Runs and Loudoun Valleys to meet again in the region championship is a big deal. And for us it’s huge because we’re still trying to prove that we’re a threat at the state level.”
Alex Koon, known most for her ferocious spikes, was an offensive force as usual, but it was her defensive efforts that stood out on this night. Particularly in the clinching fourth set, Koon, who tallied 14 digs to go along with 17 kills and 5.5 blocks, was seen more diving for balls on the back line rather than leaping high and swinging hard at the net.
“I don’t think Alex killed us with her arm tonight, but she did with her defense,” Lafayette coach Keith Nowadly said.
Her father and Warhill coach added, “She didn’t want a single ball hitting the floor without someone going after it, so she tried to motivate the girls by leading by example.”
Alex Koon was not alone, though, as Coach Koon pointed out the strong play by his two freshmen, Jewel Walters and Cori Clifton (9 kills, 8 digs, 2.5 blocks). Walters chipped in with great defense and passing, especially during the first and fourth sets, while Clifton teamed up with sophomore Nicole Mulligan (7 kills, 4.5 blocks) to limit Lafayette’s offensive standout Kiersten Langerud to 14 kills, less than half as many as the 34 she posted in Lafayette’s regional semifinal victory over Loudoun Valley on Thursday.
“Kiersten was unstoppable at Loudoun County, but [Warhill] did a good job on her tonight,” Nowadly said. “It wasn’t all her fault. We had some issues with passing and our setter getting to the ball late, but we’re going to have to get her going next week.”
After the two sides split the first two sets, Warhill took a 2-1 lead in the third after Walters’ eight-point run at the service line gave the Lions an early 9-2 advantage before they held on for a 25-19 win.
The fourth and final set was closer than any as the score was once knotted 13-13 before Warhill ran away with a 25-16 win.
The difference was the Lions’ defense, as Koon, Megan Harrigan (38 assists, 8 digs) and others relentlessly dove after balls. Colby Norris led the offense during the clinching set with five kills.
