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Central Region volleyball teams sent home
Atlee, Deep Run
fall shy of playing
for state title
By Arthur Utley
Media General News Services
Semifinal night in the
Virginia High School League
Group AAA girls volleyball
tournament didn’t turn out so
good for Central Region champion
Atlee and runner-up Deep
Run.
Stone Bridge of Ashburn
defeated Atlee 25-22, 30-28,
25-18, and Kellam of Virginia
Beach eliminated Deep Run 25-
18, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21 at the
Siegel Center last night.
Northern Region champion
Stone Bridge will meet Eastern
Region champ Kellam at 7 p.m.
tomorrow in the final.
It’s the first time in the championship
match for both teams.
It’s the third year in a row
since Deep Run won the second
of back-to-back state titles that a
team from the Central Region
hasn’t made it to the final.
Atlee (26-2) met its match
against the Bulldogs. One of
Atlee’s strengths is its balanced
attack. Points can come from
anywhere. Stone Bridge is equally
balanced and taller. Middle
hitter Alexandra Heyn, who is
headed to Ohio State, is 6-4.
“They could attack from
anywhere, and they had big
swingers across the front,” Atlee
Photos by Charlie Leffl er/The Local
Above left: Atlee head coach Curtis Carpenter offers instructions to Meg Bowers during the VHSL state semifi nal match. Above right: Atleeís Courtney Booth and
Meg Bowers (99) watch as a kill attempt from Stone Bridge’s Christine Beckham caroms off the out-of-bounds pole.
outside hitter Meg Bowers said.
Added outside hitter/setter
Karlie Suber, “We hadn’t played
a team with a strong middle.”
The Raiders had lost just five
sets this season.
The first set last night was
tight throughout. The score was
tied at 20, 21 and 22 before
the Bulldogs won the last three
points and the set.
“We tend to start slow, not
by choice, and feel the other
team out,” Stone Bridge coach
Jill Raschiatore said. “All of a
40 The Mechanicsville Local November 24, 2010
sudden we turn it on.”
The second set was an uphill
climb for the Raiders, who fell
behind 17-11. With Hailey
Brooks, Katy Stiles, Suber and
Bowers contributing points,
Atlee rallied. The Bulldogs
regained the momentum and
led 24-21. Kills from Brooks
and Stiles and ace from Brooks
knotted the score.
The teams traded points
to 28-28. Atlee errors gave
the Bulldogs the winning two
points.
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The Bulldogs raced to a 9-1
lead in third set, but the Raiders
rallied again to tie at 13 on
back-to-back aces by Brooks.
She served what appeared to
be a third straight ace, but the
serve was called out. Stone
Bridge outscored Atlee 11-5
from there.
Jitters from the first time
in a state semifinal affected
the Raiders more than the
Bulldogs.
“We weren’t as composed
as we have been,” Atlee coach
Curtis Carpenter said. “We
had a pretty good season. We
exceeded expectations but came
up short.”
Kellam won the first two
games and appeared in control
against Deep Run, but the
Wildcats (24-7) out-battled the
Knights in the third game.
“If we had started sooner,
I think we would have seen
better results, but we stayed
together when we were down,”
said Central Region player of
the year Chaney LaReau, who
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had 19 kills and 16 digs in her
final high school match.
Kellam bolted to a big lead
in the fourth set, but Deep Run
closed to 21-20 before another
kill by Cheyanne James and
Wildcats’ errors ended the
match.
James, a junior, logged 23
kills, eight digs and four blocks.
“When we all walked in, we
knew Kellam would be tough,
but I thought we could do some
things to counter them,” said
see ATLEE, pg. 41