Two area teams fall in state semis

RICHMOND

Great Bridge’s 25-match winning streak came to an end despite an improbable rally from a 2-0 deficit in the state Group AAA semifinals Wednesday night at Siegel Center.

Central Region runner-up Cosby halted the Wildcats’ streak, 25-17, 25-20, 21-25, 21-25, 16-14.

The Titans (21-5) advance to Friday’s 8 p.m. final, where they will play Central Region champion Clover Hill (22-6) for the seventh time this season.

Clover Hill eliminated Eastern Region runner-up First Colonial in the second semifinal, 25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 26-24.

Senior outside hitter Steven Cunningham was Great Bridge’s nemesis. He produced 27 kills and scored the final two service points in the match in what he called the best night of his career.

“It took us two sets to get anything going against Cosby. They’re a very solid team,” said Great Bridge coach Dave Albaugh. “We shifted the focus of our offense from the middle to the right side in the third set, and that got us back in the match.

“It could have gone either way, but Cunningham came up big for them with those final two points. We knew he was a big jumper, but he had a very good all-around game and was very hard to defend against.”

Shane Popelka, Ryan Iaquinto and Chris Childs combined to rally the Wildcats.

Popelka, who had two kills in the first two sets, finished with 13. Iaquinto and Childs added 10 apiece.

Cosby coach Frank Jenkins acknowledged his team’s good fortune in the win.

“Great Bridge is a great team and they’re especially tough in the middle,” Jenkins said. “We had to fight harder than we have all season to get this win. We just found a way with Cunningham there at the end.”

Both Iaquinto and Popelka rated Cosby the best team Great Bridge has played this season.

Cosby also got a strong effort from hitter Ben Morrison, who totaled 13 kills and six service points.

“We wouldn’t have gotten this far without Ryan, Shane and Timmy (FitzPatrick),” said Albaugh, who has led the Wildcats to four state appearances in the last eight years, but has yet to win the state title. “Those three guys lost just three matches in their final two seasons.”

In the nightcap, First Colonial also found itself in a 2-0 hole that it couldn’t escape.

“We had a shot to win it with the best outside hitting tandem in the state, Chase Holderby and Sammy Brennan,” said First Colonial coach Barry Hodges. “But we couldn’t overcome the jump serving of Clover Hill’s Tony Song, which was the difference in those first two sets.

“Clover Hill’s experience, with seven seniors, also hurt us with our lineup that included three freshmen and sophomores.”

Boys volleyball

Group AAA state semifinals

At the Siegel Center, Richmond

Cosby d. Great Bridge. 25-17, 25-20, 21-25, 21-25, 16-14

Clover Hill d. First Colonial, 25-22, 25-23, 22-25, 26-24