2011-11-10 Rapids punch ticket for state tournament - Midlothian Exchange

Rapids punch ticket for state tournament
Published: November 10, 2011

James River’s Josh Carrington slams a kill between two Hanover blockers during the fourth set of the Rapids’ victory Wednesday night. I photo by Jim McConnell

By Jim McConnell
jmcconnell@midlothianexchange.com

It’s that time of year again.

Leaves have changed colors. Summer humidity has given way to chilly fall evenings. And after a good-but-not-great regular season, James River’s boys volleyball team is playing its best in the most important matches.

The Rapids took a big step toward defending its 2010 Group AAA state championship Wednesday night, beating Hanover 3-1 in a Central Region semifinal at Cosby High.

James River’s victory not only set up a 7:45 p.m. Thursday matchup with Douglas Freeman for the regional title, it secured a berth in next week’s state semifinals at VCU’s Siegel Center.

That means – regardless of Thursday’s result – the Rapids find themselves just two more wins away from a second consecutive state title.

Junior setter Mitchell Ford acknowledged it was quite a turnaround from just six days earlier, when James River fell to Cosby in a five-set thriller in the Dominion District tournament final.

It was Cosby’s third consecutive victory over James River this season. But the Titans lost to Freeman in Monday’s regional quarterfinals, and once again the Rapids will represent the Dominion at the Group AAA tournament.

“When November rolls around, we just get that feeling,” Ford said. “Everyone is so hyped, you go to school and everyone is asking, ‘When is the next match?’

“We have so much pride and we have a lot of guys who are very competitive. We love being in those pressure situations because that’s when it means the most.”

District player of the year Sam Albus had a big game for James River (21-3) with 13 kills, 11 digs, four blocks and four aces.

An Albus kill gave the Rapids a 25-17 victory in the first set. Hanover hurt itself by missing five serves in the second set, the last of which gave James River its final point in a 25-20 win.

Trailing two sets to none and 21-19 in the third set after a kill by James River’s Pete Sowers, Hanover rallied and took the set 25-23 on back-to-back kills by Drew Hazelgrove.

“I told them, ‘We’re seven points away from our season ending. Do we want to go out fighting or do we want to lay down?’” Hanover coach Mike Rohr said. “We came out and fought.”

The Hawks’ momentum didn’t last. James River jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead, then broke a 5-all deadlock with five consecutive points on Albus’ serve. Leading 11-6, the Rapids ripped off four points on Ford’s serve and never led by less than nine points the rest of the way.

“Defensively we played about as well as we can play,” James River coach Terry Ford said. “We’re going to try our utmost to keep the ball off the floor. That’s what we focus on every day in practice. We call that James River volleyball.”