VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: Pats win Region title, Eagles season ends

In Purcellville, Albemarle volleyball pulled off a monster upset in the Northwest Region Championship, as the Patriots knocked off home standing Loudoun Valley, 3-2.
Albemarle fell behind 2-0 and the Patriots had their work cut out for them.
“We had three big swings at the ball total in the first game,” Albemarle coach Mark Ragland said. “The first two people were breaking down, they just weren’t in rhythm. They did a good job of rallying.”
Rally they did.
The Patriots (24-3) won the third game 25-18, then forced a fifth game with a 25-21 win. In that critical fourth game, Albemarle trailed 14-6 before turning things around. In the deciding game, the Patriots prevailed 15-9 and will now host a first round match-up on Tuesday in the AAA state tournament.
Albemarle was led by Kara Elder (17 kills), Laura Gomez (15 kills, five blocks, three aces, 12 service points), Hannah Lawson (10 kills), Abby Hendrix (44 assists), and Brittany Parnell (12 service points).
Cape Henry Collegiate 3, Covenant 2
In Lynchburg, Covenant’s dream season fell just short of a VISVA Division II state title, as No. 1 seed Cape Henry Collegiate survived a ferocious comeback, and held off the Eagles three games to two (25-17, 25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 15-7).
Sisters Emily and Ellen Smethurst were named to the All-Tournament Team, and led the way for the Eagles like they have all year. Emily had 27 assists, a block, a kill, an ace and two digs, and Ellen finished with seven blocks, 29 kills and a dig. Connor Adams added three blocks, six kills, an assist and two digs.
“We’ve come a long way from last year, when we didn’t even make the playoffs,” Covenant coach Annette Williams said. “We surprised [Cape Henry] by taking them to five games, we’ve had a never-say-die attitude all season.”
Loudoun County 3, Western Albemarle 0
In Leesburg, Western Albemarle fell to defending state champion Loudoun County in the Region II final.
Warriors head coach Lance Rogers was proud of his team’s effort, but Loudoun proved why they were the better team.
Sarah Harper contributed with eight kills, Chastity Lacy had four kills and three blocks, and Kristen Pack added four kills and three aces.
Western will play at Chancellor in the AA state quarterfinals on Tuesday night.