Grafton ends state title run for New Kent Lady Trojans’ volleyball squad
New Kent’s Leah Rounds (center) tries to deliver a kill between the blockade of Grafton’s Alana Washington (left) and Ainsley French (right).Robb Johnson photo
Tuesday night’s Group 3A state semifinal contest was round four of New Kent’s Lady Trojans taking on the Grafton Lady Clippers. But with a trip to the state championship on the line and lessons learned from previous encounters, it was the hosting Lady Clippers taking no chances with New Kent.
New Kent’s Lady Trojans fell 15-25, 20-25, 21-25 in straight sets to Grafton, bringing their season to an end with a 23-4 record. Ironically, all four losses were at the hands of Grafton.
In the opening set, New Kent opened sluggishly as they trailed by four (10-6) thanks to Grafton’s Ana Breckons and Alana Washington having command at the net. New Kent battle back to tie the game at 12 apiece, but service errors and continuous pressure by the Lady Clippers resulted in a 12-3 run to close out the opening frame.
In the second stanza both teams see-sawed the lead, with New Kent gaining the upper hand (13-11) after kills from Carly Sachs and Leah Rounds. But Grafton understood their opponent’s strategy, able to counter every run and form one of their own. The Lady Clippers put together a 14-7 scoring spurt, capturing the set and putting New Kent into a must-win situation.
The Lady Trojans responded to the challenge in the third, with Hunter Harlow aces helping the hosts propel to a 8-3 lead. But it was another furious effort by the hosts to climb back into the contest. The Lady Trojans lead dwindled bit by bit, with Grafton able to take the lead and hold onto it to sweep the match.
After the contest, New Kent Lady Trojans’ Head Coach Stuart Burnett only had praise for his team and the incredible season.
“Five times in the history of this program have we advanced this far in 39 years,” he said. “This has been an incredible season, and this group of girls have been together sisterlike.
“It has been a fun year, and they have achieved more as a team because they work with each other,” Burnett continued. “They work hard and continued to support each other the entire season. While we didn’t accomplish our goal of beating Grafton, it was overall a great year for these girls.”