Vikings, Raiders win region volleyball titles

In a rematch of last season’s AAA Northwest Region final, Loudoun Valley reversed its fortunes with a five-set victory over defending state champions Albemarle on the Patriots’ home floor. In a closely contested battle from start to finish, the Vikings had just enough poise to hold on in the fifth set for the victory, 25-22, 16-25, 29-27, 18-25, 15-13.

Senior hitters Morgan Clark and Lindsay Phipps paced the Vikings (20-5) with 15 and 12 kills respectively, senior Nicole Bennett had 36 assists and senior Kristen Martin added 18 digs to help Loudoun Valley secure home-court advantage for Tuesday’s AAA state quarterfinal match against Northern Region runners-up Langley.

“To take out the state champions on their home court in the postseason is a big accomplishment,” Loudoun Valley Coach Laird Johnson said. “It just gives us more confidence heading into states.”

In AA Region II, the two-time defending state champion Loudoun County Raiders won their fourth straight region title, 25-11, 25-18, 25-22. The Raiders (22-3) will host Region I runners-up Lafayette in Tuesday’s AA state quarterfinals. Stats to come on this...