New Kent coasts over Lady Cavaliers in volleyball regional quarterfinals

New Kent’s Ryan Griffith (6) looks like she is walking on air as she delivers a kill over two Lakeland defenders.

Robb Johnson photo

New Kent’s Lady Trojans didn’t miss a beat as they entered the Nov. 6 Region 3A quarterfinal matchup against the visiting Lakeland Lady Cavaliers.

New Kent cruised 25-8, 25-9, 25-13 to sweep the Lakeland and advance to the regional semifinals against Colonial Heights.

The hosts came out early, using serves to discombobulate Lakeland. Aces from Fallon Greenawalt and Leah Rounds led the charge in the first set. In the second set, the Lady Trojans attacked at the net, with Carly Sachs executing one of her five kills on the night. In total, the team notched 41 kills. In the final frame, New Kent had no problem disposing of Lakeland, coasting and controlling the contest the rest of the way.

New Kent Lady Trojans Head Coach Stuart Burnett spoke about prepping for the tournament during the layoff the team had.

“We aren’t looking beyond winning tonight or tomorrow,” he commented. “The girls have been putting in a lot of effort and we have been working on specific things.

“Our focus in practice for the last two weeks has been Grafton,” Burnett continued, speaking on the possible matchup with one of the top teams in the state. “We know if we want to get to where we want to get to, it starts with beating them.”