Langley outlasts Battlefield to reach Va. 6A North region volleyball final
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Version 0 of 1. After Langley had wrestled match point away from Battlefield in the fourth set of Thursday’s Virginia 6A North region volleyball semifinal, Jessica Donaldson figured it was safe to, as she put it, “start swinging away.” But that was after the Saxons dug out of a seven-point hole and just before the teams would trade the lead six times, extending the fourth set another 14 points before an exhausted Donaldson halted the marathon with the decisive kill. Her eyes still red from the outpouring of emotion that followed the Saxons’ 27-25, 20-25, 25-23, 31-29 win in Haymarket, the senior turned to Coach Sue Shifflett as they walked toward the bus and shared her motivation during that final stretch, one that secured a spot in Saturday’s region final and Tuesday’s state semifinals. “We were not going to let it go past that fourth set with them. We couldn’t,” Donaldson said. “Everything we had, we were giving it right then.” Langley’s four seniors entered the match unwilling to let Thursday mark the close of their high school careers. The thought drove Katie Sissler during the first set, when she sparked the Saxons to their first point on a kill and later recorded a kill and a block to help fend off a late Battlefield rally. But the Bobcats (21-4) were also determined, far from satisfied with a season that had yielded a school record in wins and their first conference title. Led by the high-flying play of Caroline Skaff, the Bobcats reeled off a flurry of points late in the second set to tie the score at one game apiece. Skaff, along with middle blockers Skyler Sisk and Olivia Boyd, helped Battlefield build early leads in each of the next two sets before the Saxons buckled down defensively. By keying on Battlefield’s stronger players at the net, Langley retook the lead with a handful of blocks by Sissler, Allison Franke and Elena Shklyar. “We’re a young team, but we’ve learned how to play together and play off our strengths as the season has gone on, and tonight it was about taking their blockers out of the game,” Sissler said. The strategy worked as Langley (23-5) rallied from a seven-point deficit to take a 24-23 lead in the fourth set. But even after Skaff was hobbled with a knee injury, the Bobcats jousted with the Saxons, forcing what became the longest set of the season for both teams until kills by Sissler and Donaldson sent the Saxons to their second region final in three seasons. “It’s such an amazing feeling. I was bawling after we won,” Sissler said. “We’ve been talking about winning all day, and we weren’t going to end it any other way.” ●MADISON 3, W. SPRINGFIELD 2: After falling behind two games to one, the defending 6A North region champion Warhawks rallied for a 23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-15, 15-6 victory and will host Langley in Saturday’s final at 6 p.m. ●STONE BRIDGE 3, MARSHALL 0: The Bulldogs defeated the Statesmen on the road, 25-22, 25-15, 25-18, to advance to Saturday’s Virginia 5A North region final. ●POTOMAC FALLS 3, BRIAR WOODS 0: In the other 5A North semifinal, the Panthers swept the defending 5A state champions, 25-20, 25-9, 34-32, behind Holly Carlton’s 21 kills and 17 assists. ●LOUDOUN COUNTY 3, FREEDOM-SOUTH RIDING 0: The Raiders recorded their ninth consecutive straight-sets victory, beating the Eagles to return to the 4A West region championship. ●WOODGROVE 3, DOMINION 1: The Wolverines won their seventh straight match, defeating the Titans to earn a spot in Saturday’s 4A West region championship and next week’s 4A state semifinals. |