On Tuesday night in Vienna, on the road in a packed gym during the Virginia Class 6 semifinals, it just so happened that everyone did. Six players combined for the final seven kills during a four-set victory over Madison (23-25, 25-23, 25-19, 28-26).
“We’re all really close, so we all know each other’s gameplay and whose ball is whose,” senior Brianna Clay said.
On the final play, the ball was Clay’s: She dropped in a shot among three Madison defenders to send the Bobcats to their first state title game. They’ll face Langley at Richmond’s Siegel Center at 4:15 p.m. Friday.
Madison (25-4) and Battlefield (19-5) started the year with reputations as fringe contenders and first-year coaches who knew that undersold their potential. Even after the Bobcats began on a three-game losing streak, Davis noticed his group did not lose faith, no matter who was on the floor or what the score was.
Though Tuesday’s first set, which had 29 points pass before either team had a three-point lead, ultimately went Madison’s way, a late Battlefield push suggested the Bobcats had a response.
That response: well-placed hits by seniors Clay, Taelin Connolley and Grace Bianchi. In the second set, a 7-0 run powered by high-rising offense helped even the match. In the third set, acrobatic defense and error-free volleyball put Madison on the brink. And in the fourth set, with a lead that seesawed from 20-20 until the match’s end, the Bobcats leaned on everyone.
“[These tight sets], they’re kind of our bread and butter,” Davis said. “We’re prepared for it.”
Looking back, Langley Coach Susan Shifflett never had to worry much about her roster — a group that, during Tuesday’s semifinal in McLean, outlasted Colonial Forge (26-24, 31-33, 24-26, 25-18, 17-15) in McLean and advanced to its first state championship game since it captured the title in 2017.
In August, Shifflett liked what she saw from her group: talent, cohesion and returning all-state players in Chloe Hokenson and Leni Stanton-Parker. She also knew just two seniors were on the roster. So, as she had done with young groups in the past, she challenged her Saxons: Embrace the slow grind — don’t coast on talent — and spend even more time together.
The Saxons (26-3), inveterate contenders in Northern Virginia, cooperated. Despite its youth, Langley has found ways to erase inconsistencies as the season passed. Crisp execution made all the difference Tuesday.
“It’s a slow, uphill grind,” Shifflett said before the win over the Eagles (21-7) of Stafford County. “But I think we’ve gotten better together.”
In a Class 5 semifinal, Riverside defeated Riverbend in four sets (23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-18) to advance to the first state final in program history. The Rams will face Virginia Beach’s First Colonial at 2 p.m. Friday in Richmond.
Every year, Riverside Coach Reggie Cruz molds his approach to fit the personality of his roster. This fall, his roster had experience and intelligence. Back in August, it also had a more passive personality.
So, rather than overextend his voice, he challenged his Rams (26-0) to find theirs. He wanted them to question everything, to teach each other and to identify their own mistakes rather than lean on him for advice. What better way, he thought, to get buy-in and build mental fortitude than if the players drive the approach?
The results suggest that was the right decision. Last year, the Rams went 6-4 in five-set matches. Entering Tuesday, they were 3-0, including in a region final against Riverbend (27-3) in which they came back from a 2-0 deficit to secure home-court advantage in the state semis. Led by 2022 Potomac District player of the year Simone Schaefer and Virginia Tech commit Brianna Holladay, the Rams came back from a first-set loss to advance to Richmond.