The Grafton girls volleyball team is top-ranked in Hampton Roads, as the Clippers maintain the No. 1 spot in the final 757Teamz.com rankings.
There has been no stopping York County’s version of the Sultans of Swat. who await their Class 4 Region A semifinal opponent for a home match Thursday. Grafton rambled through the regular season with an unprecedented 20 shutouts, winning 63 of 64 sets (.984).
The Clippers could be on a collision course to face Atlee (17-1) in a state semifinal or James Wood (24-2) in the final. James Wood topped Grafton to capture the 2022 Class 4 championship, and after a two-year stint in Class 3, the Clippers are seeking their long-awaited opportunity for revenge against the Colonels.
While Grafton aims for the Class 4 crown, Kellam is among the favorites in Class 5 and finishes the regular season at No. 2 in Hampton Roads. The Knights hold the top seed in the Class 5 Region A playoffs, which begin Monday and conclude with the championship at Deep Creek High on Saturday.
Their road to the state title could include a championship matchup with undefeated Maury if both teams sweep through their region tourneys and first two rounds of state playoffs.
StoneBridge, at No. 3, is the clear favorite to win the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II championship and would cap an undefeated season if the Cavaliers complete the task.
Two Peninsula District teams, No. 4 Woodside and No. 5 Menchville, complete the top five. The teams will collide on the court Wednesday in a Class 5 Region B semifinal, with the winner facing the Granby-Maury winner for the region championship.
The Commodores, ranked sixth, looked to diversify their schedule in the second half of October, with wins over nondistrict opponents Cape Henry Collegiate, Princess Anne and Oscar Smith.
Catholic enters the rankings for the first time. The Crusaders won the TCIS championship with a 3-2 (25-22, 31-29, 21-25, 18-25, 15-10) upset victory over Norfolk Academy, and they will face Collegiate of Richmond as the fifth seed in the first round of the VISAA Division I playoffs. The Bulldogs are seeded third and face Flint Hill, with both matches taking place Tuesday.
Landstown and Phoebus complete the rankings at No. 14 and No. 15. The Eagles stunned Kempsville to end the regular season and were to face Western Branch in a Class 6 Region A quarterfinal Monday.
Phoebus earned the second seed in the Class 4 Region A playoffs and will face Jamestown in a semifinal Thursday.
No. 9 Grassfield is the top seed in Class 6 Region A and was to face Manchester on Monday, with the winner slated to tangle with the Landstown-Western Branch victor.
Team (Record), Previous
1. Grafton (21-0), 1
2. Kellam (19-3), 2
3. StoneBridge (35-0), 3
4. Woodside (17-1), 5
5. Menchville (16-4), 7
6. Maury (19-0), 8
7. Norfolk Academy (20-3), 4
8. First Colonial (14-9), 9
9. Grassfield (15-5), 10
10. Cox (17-6), 12
11. Indian River (16-5), 13
12. Catholic (24-8), NR
13. Ocean Lakes (16-7), 11
14. Landstown (14-8), NR
15. Phoebus (15-6), NR
Dropped out: Jamestown, Bethel, Kempsville
