After two decades of coaching the Patriots, one of the finest volleyball coaches in the state of Virginia earned his just reward — a Group AAA crown.

Already an All-Northwest Region selection, a state champion and the school’s record holder for kills in a season, Kara Elder can add The Daily Progress’ 2008 Central Virginia Player of the Year award to her list of accolades.

Albemarle was unable to recover, and faltered down the stretch as the Wildcats won convincingly, 56-36.

A breakdown of the upcoming season for Albemarle, Nelson, Madison and Buckingham girls basketball.

Albemarle outside hitter Kara Elder was dominant throughout the regular season for the Patriots, but during the postseason, the senior was sublime.

After 20 seasons, Albemarle head coach and Virginia’s all-time wins leader Mark Ragland finally has his state title

“Coming back in that last game was really amazing,” said Patriots coach Mark Ragland. “When you’re up 2-0 and then everything turns against you, it’s really hard to find that inner strength.“

It’s been eight years since Albemarle High went to the state semifinals, but after a strong 3-1 victory over past Frank W. Cox High Tuesday night, the Patriots are bound for Richmond’s Siegel Center.

The Patriots will finally head back home for the Group AAA quarterfinals, the program’s fifth trip to the state tournament in the Mark Ragland era.

The Patriots battled through their own mental mistakes to take down the Black Hawks 25-20, 25-18, 25-10.

Albemarle High’s volleyball team isn’t just winning matches right now — they’re dominating them. The Patriots (12-0) have lost just three games in matches this year behind the heavy-hitting attack duo of Kara Elder and Laura Gomez.

The Patriots struggled with mental mistakes early, but the presence of Kara Elder and Laura Gomez ultimately overwhelmed the Warriors, giving Albemarle the 3-1 victory.