In one of the most electric atmospheres I have ever seen at Riverheads, the Lady Gladiators fell agonizingly short of a second straight championship game appearance as they dropped a tight 19-25, 25-13, 21-25, 25-14, 15-12 match to Radford tonight. If Auburn won the other semi-final, and they were likely favored to do so over Mathews, then Auburn and Radford will meet for the fifth time Saturday morning at VCU to decide the state championship.
The nearly-packed home stands included a rowdy student section that didn't have much to cheer about in the early going as Radford established control of the first game and raced out to a 13-4 advantage. But Riverheads caught fire, reeled off about 10 of the next 12 points and eventually took the first set 25-19 as the students roared their approval.
With RHS (oops I will have to clarify won't I?)---with RIVERHEADS seemingly in charge at that point, Big Mo instead switched sides and the Lady Bobcats once again raced to that same 13-4 lead in the second set. Again the Lady Gladiators caught their second wind and closed to within about 15-11. But Radford slammed the door and finished off the second set 25-13 for the easiest win of the night.
One might have assumed that RHS (the visiting ones this time!) would now have all the momentum after such an impressive set, but this time Riverheads regained its form and took game three 25-21. That one was tight from start to finish and that four point margin was probably about the largest either team had in that particular set.
As game four started, the Gladiators hoped to close out the match and punch their ticket to Richmond. Instead the Radford coach substituted his small roster very strategically and the visitors broke away from a tight early score to win the fourth set as handily as they had the second one, closing out the Big Red 25-14.
The deciding set was about as intense as the 15-12 final score makes it sound. The teams swapped the lead about 4 or 5 times in the early going as neither led by more than two points. The home crowd could feel it as the Big Red took its final lead at 11-9. But Radford reached back for that something extra and scored 6 of the final 7 points to make their long trip worthwhile.
Riverheads finishes with a sparkling 24-2 record, the only two losses coming in 5 sets. Coach Thompson graduates six seniors from this team but will return a solid nucleus next year to make another run. She should be a strong candidate for Shenandoah District Coach of the Year. Many of these same ladies will now suit up for basketball, which will begin in a few weeks.
The nearly-packed home stands included a rowdy student section that didn't have much to cheer about in the early going as Radford established control of the first game and raced out to a 13-4 advantage. But Riverheads caught fire, reeled off about 10 of the next 12 points and eventually took the first set 25-19 as the students roared their approval.
With RHS (oops I will have to clarify won't I?)---with RIVERHEADS seemingly in charge at that point, Big Mo instead switched sides and the Lady Bobcats once again raced to that same 13-4 lead in the second set. Again the Lady Gladiators caught their second wind and closed to within about 15-11. But Radford slammed the door and finished off the second set 25-13 for the easiest win of the night.
One might have assumed that RHS (the visiting ones this time!) would now have all the momentum after such an impressive set, but this time Riverheads regained its form and took game three 25-21. That one was tight from start to finish and that four point margin was probably about the largest either team had in that particular set.
As game four started, the Gladiators hoped to close out the match and punch their ticket to Richmond. Instead the Radford coach substituted his small roster very strategically and the visitors broke away from a tight early score to win the fourth set as handily as they had the second one, closing out the Big Red 25-14.
The deciding set was about as intense as the 15-12 final score makes it sound. The teams swapped the lead about 4 or 5 times in the early going as neither led by more than two points. The home crowd could feel it as the Big Red took its final lead at 11-9. But Radford reached back for that something extra and scored 6 of the final 7 points to make their long trip worthwhile.
Riverheads finishes with a sparkling 24-2 record, the only two losses coming in 5 sets. Coach Thompson graduates six seniors from this team but will return a solid nucleus next year to make another run. She should be a strong candidate for Shenandoah District Coach of the Year. Many of these same ladies will now suit up for basketball, which will begin in a few weeks.
