With three unbeaten teams in the mix, some of the girls volleyball district and conference titles have been decided. However, some interesting races remain, especially in the crowded Beach District, where the winner will be decided Thursday and where the third- through fifth-place teams all have nine wins.
Bay Rivers District: All that is left for No. 1 Grafton is the proverbial “victory formation.” All of the Clippers’ 16 wins have come within the BRD, and they are set up for the top seeding in the Class 4 Region A bracket. New Kent (13-3), Tabb (11-5) and No. 13 Jamestown (10-4) hold the next three spots. Barring a regular-season-ending win streak by Jamestown or Tabb, who both play Grafton one more time, little should change in the top four.
Beach District: The match of the season awaits as No. 11 Cox (11-2 in Beach play) and No. 2 Kellam (11-1) meet at Cox on Thursday for a 4 p.m. showdown that will be televised on nfhsnetwork.com. The district title hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile, No. 10 Ocean Lakes (9-3), No. 9 First Colonial (9-4) and No. 6 Kempsville (9-4) scramble for the third slot. Ocean Lakes will face Cox and Kellam in the next week before finishing the regular season against Kempsville on Oct. 30. First Colonial holds the edge, facing three unranked opponents (Tallwood, Salem, Bayside) to finish its regular season. An upset could spoil the final chapter for the Patriots.
Eastern District: All Maury, all day. The No. 8 Commodores (13-0) are undefeated in the district, but No. 15 Granby is 10-1 in it. The two teams meet Wednesday at Maury. A Comets win would decimate a perfect season on Shirley Avenue and create co-champions, so Maury hopes to replicate its 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-10) win Sept. 24 over Granby.
Peninsula District: No. 5 Woodside and No. 7 Menchville are locked at 12-1. The Wolverines and Monarchs split their two matches, but those teams will face Phoebus (10-3 district) on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
Southeastern District: At 10-1 in the district, it is No. 12 Grassfield’s championship to lose. Hickory and Indian River are tied at 8-3, while Oscar Smith and Western Branch linger behind at 7-4.
TCIS: Norfolk Academy, previously ranked third in VISAA Division I, dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 (20-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-11) decision to St. Catherine’s of Richmond, ranked two spots lower, last week. But the Bulldogs, led by seniors Charleston Hart and Sydney Petersen, should ramble through the TCIS Tournament and aim for a Division I championship berth against favorites Bishop O’Connell or Paul VI.
Metro Conference: Stone Bridge has all 10 first-place votes in the VISAA Division II poll, and is favored to win the state championship Nov. 8 at Steward School in Richmond.
Team (Record), Previous
1. Grafton (16-0), 1
2. Kellam (15-3), 2
3. StoneBridge (32-0), 4
4. Norfolk Academy (16-2), 5
5. Woodside (14-1), 6
6. Kempsville (14-5), 7
7. Menchville (13-4), 9
8. Maury (14-0), 10
9. First Colonial (11-9), 11
10. Ocean Lakes (14-5), 5
11. Cox (15-5), 8
12. Grassfield (13-5), 15
13. Jamestown (11-4), NR
14. Bethel (10-4), 13
15. Granby (10-3), NR
Dropped out: Indian River, Poquoson
