Trojans, Blue Devils Advance After Region D Semifinal Wins

COUNCIL, Va. – Kelsey Griffitts could not carry John Battle on her aching back, but she gave her team quite a lift.

Griffitts broke the Group A state record for kills and helped get the Trojans to the state tournament in a 3-2, come-from-behind victory over Rye Cove in the Region D semifinals Tuesday.

Gate City made it an all-Clinch Mountain District final in Region D with a 3-0 sweep of Coeburn in Tuesday’s nightcap at Council Elementary School.

John Battle rallied in the last three games for a 16-25, 20-25, 28-26, 25-14, 15-12 win. Gate City stopped Coeburn, 25-9, 25-22 and 25-10.

Griffitts was in and out of the John Battle lineup, especially early on, when Leah Miller and Jasmine Carter helped Rye Cove (18-6) take a 2-0 lead. Midway through game three
Griffitts broke the state career kills record with her 1,217th spike.

It keyed a 10-3 run that gave Battle (20-3) the lead for good in the set, and it sparked a ferocious comeback by the Trojans. When she was on the floor Griffitts soared high at the net like nothing was wrong and finished with 36 kills, including a one-hand tip that ended the match.

She was obviously in agony when she prowled the sidelines, however, and went under the bleachers on several occasions to stretch out. Griffitts also gave much of the credit to her teammates for picking up the slack when she wasn’t in the match.

“It hurt more when I was out of the lineup,” said Griffitts, who injured her back in the CMD finals last week against Gate City. “I didn’t think much about it when I was out there. I usually get a lot of help from my teammates. I’m proud of all of them.”

Brittni Altmann had 46 assists and 13 service points. Ashley Bryant added 13 points and 15 kills for John Battle which trailed 12-8, and later, 15-12, in the third set when the comeback began.

“That was one of the best comebacks I’ve ever seen,” said John Battle coach Gary Griffitts. “The whole team stepped up. Emily Smith stepped up for us and played a wonderful game.

“And we did it against a good Rye Cove team that’s very aggressive and has an excellent service game. To come back the way we did shows a lot of heart and will and desire. I can’t say enough about the heart of this team.”

Miller finished with 29 kills and three blocks, including several key plays in the first two sets. Carter had 47 assists and Charity Lawson contributed 27 service points for Rye Cove.

Gate City 3, Coeburn 0
Defending Group A champion Gate City started well and finished well against Coeburn, which was making its first-ever appearance in the Region D semifinals.

The Blue Devils (21-1) started with runs of 7-1 and 8-0 and took an 18-4 lead in the first set. Coeburn (16-8) made it interesting in game two, but Gate City opened the final game on an 11-1 run behind 10 service points from junior Callie Sloop.

“The good thing about this team is, they don’t crack under pressure,” said Gate City coach Amy Reed. “When the other team makes a run they’re good at getting calmed down and refocusing.”

Sloop finished with 32 assists and notched six aces. Freshmen Erica Fugate (9 kills) and Santana Bishop (9) and junior Ashton Dougherty (7) combined for 23 kills for the Blue Devils.

Coeburn bounced back in game two after being dominated in the opening game. Lindsay Lawson and Hannah Light helped the Blue Knights take 5-1 and 7-4 leads early in the set.
The Knights trailed by a single point, 19-18, later in the game and fell by three points.

“I’m tickled to death with the way our girls played, especially in the first regional tournament in school history,” Coeburn coach Brianne Casteel said. “Gate City has a tremendous team. Just to play one close game with a defending state champ is a big honor for our program.”

Lawson had four kills and 11 digs, while Kala Morgan had five kills for Coeburn.