Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Radford High School’s volleyball team is back in the state semi-finals. This time, it’s in a new classification as the school moved up this season from 1A to 2A, and the results have been the same. The Bobcats downed Union in four sets Saturday night in the state quarterfinals.
Radford coach Karen Adams said it was interesting facing a team that knew nothing about.
“We had to make changes to our game plan on the go and we adjusted our line up slightly in the third and fourth set to allow a couple of our hitters who were connecting well to have more time early in the set on the front row. Both of these things helped but what really allowed us to pull off the win was the energy and the focus of our entire team. They pulled together when they needed to,” she said.
Adams said her girls have worked hard all season and has been up for the challenge.
“They have put in the physical work and I can see the changes in the skills of each girl. More than anything though has been the mental work the girls have put in. We have lost some close matches this season (four in five sets) and we have given up some significant leads. We focused on resiliency, team work, leadership, and confidence. As we moved into tournament play all of the work we have put in seemed to come together. You could see a change in the way we were playing because it was as one team and not individual players,” she said.
Adam took the time to thank parents, school staff and fans for their support and moving forward to the semis.
“We are excited about the opportunity to represent Radford HS in the state semifinals. These girls know that it is one more step towards their goal. They haven’t take one moment for granted and know that each and every day they have to put in the work.”
Because of the Union win, Radford was slated to host James River last night with a trip on the line to the Seagel Center on the campus of VCU in Richmond this weekend.
Adams expressed optimism that the Bobcats would still be playing Saturday afternoon.
“At this point we are down to 4 teams and the other three want it just as bad as we do. We have to focus on our game and our strengths. We know it’s easy to get caught up in who the opponent is and what they do and we have to make adjustments based on who we are playing, but we also have to stay true to our game and keep our focus. We have to continue to play as one unit and trust that our teammates are all in each and every time we step on the court,” she said.
(Editor’s note: Because of deadlines, we were unable to include details from last night’s contest, but will include information in Saturday’s edition.)