New Kent Lady Trojans finish as regional runners-up in volleyball

New Kent's Lady Trojans pose with their regional runners-up trophy after Monday night's championship game at Grafton.

Robb Johnson photo

New Kent’s Lady Trojans had already clinched a berth to the state tournament but sought to add a regional championship trophy as they faced Bay Rivers District rival Grafton’s Lady Clippers, a team that swept every match in district play. And while the visiting Lady Trojans didn’t capture a win, snatching a set from a team that had only lost two all year still provided a positive outlook heading into the state quarterfinals.

New Kent fell 11-25, 25-18, 8-25, 16-25 to the hosting Lady Clippers, finishing as runners-up in the Group 3A Region A Championship.

Out the gate, Grafton displayed the dominance that allowed them to run away with the Bay Rivers District title. The hosts jumped out to a 16-4 lead to kick off the contest, thwarting all momentum that New Kent tried to find.

But in the second set, the Lady Trojans flipped the script as they emerged with an 8-2 run. Grafton clawed back, cutting the lead to two (10-8) before New Kent reeled in the next four points. The hosts reclaimed the lead at 15-14 after capitalizing a 6-1 run. But a Fallon Greenawalt kill sparked a 10-4 run by the Lady Trojans, with Leah Rounds spike and score winning the frame for New Kent and tying the match at one apiece.

But the energy shown in the second set would be diminished quickly by Grafton’s dominance. In the third set, New Kent trailed 9-5 after back-to-back aces by Lexi Powell. But from there, it was all in favor of the hosts as they orchestrated a 16-3 run to win the third set. In the final set, Grafton jumped out early and deflected any Lady Trojan threat to make the contest even, capturing the regional championship.

After the contest, New Kent Lady Trojans Head Coach Stuart Burnett commented that despite the loss, the team should continue to hold their heads high with the accomplishments they achieved against Grafton.

“We have the capability to play with anybody and no one has really taken a set from Grafton this past season,” he said. “That set should be a confidence builder for us going into [the state quarterfinals] Saturday.”

New Kent will travel to take on the Fauquier Lady Falcons in the state quarterfinals.