Wood to take on experienced Grafton team for title

The James Wood volleyball team has demonstrated talent and toughness during a season in which it recorded its first undefeated regular season and won its first regional title in program history.

The Colonels will need both if they’re going to win their first state title against a Grafton team that hopes this is the year it finally makes its own history.

Two teams with eight returning varsity players will meet in the Class 4 final at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Virginia Commonwealth University Siegel Center in Richmond, but the histories of James Wood (25-1) and Grafton (28-2) are different.

The Colonels are playing in their second state final and their first since 2014, when they lost to Loudoun County. Grafton has lost eight state finals since 2007, including the last five, all to Loudoun County, which had 10 straight state titles and 14 titles in 15 seasons before this year. The Clippers lost 3-1 to the Captains last year, and most of the key players on that team are back in search of their first state title.

This year, the score that Grafton is most familiar with is 3-0. The Clippers began a 20-match winning streak with a 2-0 win in the final match of a tournament in Virginia Beach on Sept. 17, and since then they’ve swept 18 of their 19 traditional best-of-five matches and lost just one set overall, which came on Sept. 22.

The Clippers’ only two defeats are a pair of 2-0 setbacks in that Virginia Beach tournament to Class 3 Hidden Valley (undefeated) and Class 6 defending state champion Colgan. Both of those schools will play for state championships in their respective classifications on Saturday.

Grafton is led by junior outside hitter Alexis Keeter, a returning Class 4 All-State First Team selection. The Region 4A Player of the Year has 509 kills and averages nearly six kills per set. The daughter of fourth-year head David Keeter has verbally committed to NCAA Division I Florida Gulf Coast University. The Clippers also feature another returning First Team All-State player in senior setter Alondra Miranda-Pagan (849 assists, nearly 10 per set).

The Colonels are more than ready for the challenge on Saturday, however. They’ve proven that all season.

James Wood swept Loudoun County 25-21, 25-5, 25-18 in the season-opener at Shirley Gymnasium. James Wood saw its 2021 season begin and end with 3-0 losses to the Captains, the latter defeat coming in the Region 4C semifinals.

“The past few years, we got demolished by them, which was kind of embarrassing,” said James Wood senior libero Carsyn Vincent, a Second Team All-Region selection who leads the Colonels with 358 digs and 65 aces. “I know they lost a lot of their key players, but we all went into it knowing we’d never beaten them. This year, we were like, ‘We can do this.’ We were all uplifting other and went in thinking we needed to fight for our team, and we ended up winning.”

Beating Millbrook on the road in their first meeting also was an important feat for the Colonels. Both teams came in with 10-0 records, and James Wood beat the Pioneers 3-1 to snap a seven-match losing streak against their Frederick County rivals that began in the spring 2021 season.

“We wanted it so badly, and we went out and gave our all,” Vincent said.

The Colonels beat Millbrook 3-1 again in the regular-season finale, then suffered a stunning 3-0 loss to the Pioneers in the district tournament championship game on their home floor. Vincent doesn’t view that loss as a bad thing, though.

“I think we needed that loss,” Vincent said. “It really humbled us. It made us feel like we needed to pull ourselves together and find a new way to come back as an entire team and not play individually.”

Vincent feels the Colonels have been playing their best volleyball since. James Wood beat Dulles District regular-season champion Rock Ridge 3-1 in the Region 4C semifinals in Ashburn, defeated Dulles tournament champion Dominion 3-2 in the Region 4C final, beat Region 4D runner-up E.C. Glass 3-1 in the Class 4 quarters, then topped Dominion again in the Class 4 semifinals on Tuesday, this time by a 3-1 score.

One of the reasons why Vincent feels the team bounced back so well from the Millbrook loss is the bond within the team.

Vincent said on Wednesday that over the past week the team’s activities including hiking to watch a sunset, a team dinner at junior setter Hannah McCullough’s house, a get together at junior hitter Lexi Taylor’s house to make TikTok videos, and a team meal before Saturday’s match against E.C. Glass and a get together at senior Ella Kelchner’s house after it. On Wednesday evening, they were headed to Taylor’s house for another team dinner.

“We’re always doing things together,” James Wood coach Adrienne Patrick said.

In addition to the eight returners, James Wood features three immediate-impact newcomers in All-Region 4C First Team freshmen Kennedy Spaid (team-high 298 kills, 111 digs) and outside hitter/defensive specialist Brenna Corbin (151 kills, 234 digs, 57 aces) as well as junior middle hitter Ashlynn Spence (second on the team in kills with 154).

Junior Paige Ahakuelo is a Second Team All-Region 4C selection with 437 assists and 181 digs and junior Hannah McCullough (Second Team All-District) has 421 assists, 171 digs and 64 aces. Senior middle hitter Ella Kelchner leads the team in blocks (57) and has 94 kills. Taylor (Second Team All-District) had 105 kills and 55 aces and outside hitters Melia Burch (senior) and Addie Pitcock (sophomore) have 110 and 94 kills, respectively. Junior defensive specialist Izzy Turner suffered an injury against E.C. Glass but also been a solid contributor.

Patrick said the Colonels are aware of what Grafton is capable of, but they need to concentrate on their own execution to be successful. Height won’t play a significant role in Saturday’s match. The 5-foot-11 Keeter will be the tallest participant.

“Our main focus is going to be on serving and passing, and our ability to stay in system so we have opportunities to score,” Patrick said. “I think our ability to have a versatile bench and have lots of people who can play lots of positions will benefit us.”

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