Lady Trojans oust defending state champions in regional volleyball quarterfinals

New Kent’s Fallon Greenawalt (right) delivers a powerful kill against the blocking attempt by York’s Nadia Warrior.

Robb Johnson photo

Using momentum from their final game, New Kent’s Lady Trojans’ volleyball team looked to carry that positivity into a Halloween night regional quarterfinal match against defending Group 3A state champion York Lady Falcons. And by the time the match was over, it was more treats than tricks for the Lady Trojans.

New Kent swept York 25-22, 25-19, 25-18, earning a victory and a Nov. 2 trip to face top-seeded Colonial Heights in semifinal action.

In the opening set, the hosts struggled early on as an ace by Lady Falcon Kiran McVey doubled up York’s advantage (12-6). But an error on McVey’s next serve swung moment, launching the hosts to an 8-4 run to find themselves trailing by two (16-14) thanks to aces by Lexi Powell and a kill by Fallon Greenawalt. From there, the hosts pulled away slowly, with an ace by Greenawalt finishing the set.

In the second set, New Kent received contributions from several players. A dig by Abby McLaughlin an ace by Evie Davenport allowed the hosts to double up York (18-9). But that margin wasn’t safe, as a Lady Trojan error was followed up by a kill from York’s Kenlee Washington, sparking a 7-0 run for the guests to cut the Lady Trojans’ lead to two (18-16).

It would be Leah Rounds’ spike and score that halted the momentum. From there, the hosts’ defense stepped up, with Mackenzie Loveland’s block capturing the second set for the hosts.

The third stanza consisted of an evenly played contest. Tied at 17 apiece, Greenawalt’s kill provided the lead for the Lady Trojans that they wouldn’t relinquish. Lexi Powell’s ace and another Greenawalt kill launched an 8-1 run, with a kill from Courtney Carter being enough to propel the hosts into the next round.

After the contest, New Kent Head Coach Stuart Burnett spoke about the stress his team felt during the week building up to the matchup.

“We are overwhelmed, and we have been playing really well,” he commented. “We have been getting support from everyone and getting strong practices. Everyone understands their role.

“We beat the reigning state champions two out of three times this year,” Burnett continued. “Beating them in the regular season helped us get the four seed and them coming to us. Right now, we have a chance to get a state trip, but we have to start by winning on Thursday against a 20-1 Lady Colonials team.”