NORTON, Va. – John Battle High School junior Abbey Davis said she was nervous after her team’s slow start against J.I. Burton on Monday night in the first round of the Region D volleyball tournament.
If she was nervous, she showed no signs of anxiety in the way she played.
Davis had eight digs, three service aces and provided steady play as Battle collected a 22-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-20 victory over the Raiders.
Battle (19-3) will battle Rye Cove (18-5) tonight at 6 p.m. in the regional semifinals at Council Elementary School with a VHSL Group A state tournament berth on the line.
On Monday, things didn’t go as planned for the Trojans early. Countless mistakes added up to a loss in the first game and an early deficit.
“We knew [Burton] had a good team,” said Battle coach Gary Griffitts. “We knew they had one real good hitter, but they’ve got three or four good girls that can hit the ball. They are very athletic, very talented. They pass the ball extremely well and they didn’t make many mistakes.”
However, Battle dominated the second and third games. One of the reasons was the play of Davis, who was consistent from the service line and helped the Trojans build early leads and take control of
the match.
Battle jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the second game and a 6-0 edge in the second game. Burton (16-8) never recovered.
“We just kind of settled down and focused on what we had to do and kind of got more into the game, once we started playing,” Davis said.
The versatility of Davis has been a key part of the Battle attack.
“Abbey’s probably been one of the most consistent players we’ve had all year,” Griffitts said. “She may not get all the accolades, but Abbey’s consistent. She’ll get the serve in and get you a kill when
you need it and a pass when you need it.”
Kelsey Griffitts (24 kills), Brittni Altmann (33 assists), Ashley Bryant (10 kills, three aces) and Emily Smith (seven digs) also played well for Battle. The Trojans know the pressures of the postseason after advancing to the state tournament last fall.
“We realized that we had to win,” said Battle’s Megan Corns, who made seven blocks. “This [match] was really important. We want to go on to state and we’ll do anything really just to get to that spot.”
It was a tough loss for Burton. Ra’Shelle Miller (17 kills), Chelsea Forney (14 digs, four kills) and Cassie Godsey (21 digs, 12 kills) played well for the Lonesome Pine District champion.
“After we won the first game, I really thought our confidence would be high,” said Burton coach Jon Bright. “I felt like we would come out and just roll. We did just the opposite. It’s just like we got in a shell and hid. Games two and three were awful, no ifs ands or buts about it.”
Battle had little time to enjoy the victory, instead preparing for today’s match with Cumberland District champ Rye Cove.
“We’ll be pumped up,” Corns said. “We’re pumped up right now. Getting this win [Monday] is important to us in so many ways.”
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