Such activities are usually reserved for the winning team, but not this time.  StoneBridge had just lost a heartbreaker in five sets to arch rival Portsmouth Christian with each team fending of match points before PCS finally pulled out the victory. But the final score wasn’t the story — the story was seen in the throng of SBS players, students, parents and friends who couldn’t leave the court and have brought a new level of enthusiasm to volleyball at StoneBridge.

“I’ve never seen this many people cheering like this at a girls volleyball game,” said a parent from another Metro school. “You have incredible fans,” said another parent.

Senior Captain and All-Metro player Rachel Rowe led the way all season for the Cavs, who finished at 9-14. Rowe amassed 242 kills, bringing her career total to 608 and making her the second member of the SBS Volleyball “500 Club.” Rachel added 83 aces to give her 280 for her career (the SBS career leader) to go along with over 500 digs and 907 service receptions. Rachel’s line for the final game typified her all-out style of play: 11 kills, 11 aces, 45 services receptions, 16 digs and 3 blocks. Rachel earned the 2008 and 2009 Leadership Awards and finished her career as the best all-around volleyball player in StoneBridge history.

Junior Laura Rader (Loyalty Award recipient) set a SBS single season record with 330 assists (634 for her career making her the third member of our 500 Club). Laura was our featured setter in the “5-1″ rotation, meaning she was in the center of the action for the vast majority of the points. Juniors Kristin Hines and Anna Elliott served as co-captains, adding depth to our front-row attack, while classmates Geli Zeigler (Libero), Katie Connor (defensive specialist) and Ellen Russell (Perseverance Award winner) make the prospects for next season quite bright.

The varsity team also featured  sophomores Jessi Carroll (outside hitter) and Julia Overton (defensive specialist) along with freshman Hope Elliott (outside hitter, Most Improved Award).

The enthusiasm was not a one-time event nor was it limited to the varsity team. In fact, more than two dozen girls participated in our JV and JJV teams. At times, the crowds at our home games could have been mistaken for a basketball game. JV coach Ron Mann led a deep and developing team that finished 7-11 and challenged some of the best teams in the Metro conference. Coach Cassielu Malone headed our first full-year JJV program which finished with a 8-6 record and featured a strong and talented group of girls.

Together, the three volleyball teams combined to win more games than any other SBS volleyball season. But the real “victory” of the program could be seen in the enthusiasm that lingered long after a heartbreaking loss and has continued into the off-season. With such passion combined with support from the Athletic program and the school, the future surely is bright for SBS volleyball.

Well, next year is here…. and next year is, in fact, different. Back at Paul VI, the second seed StoneBridge faced off with sixth seed Tandem Friends from Charlottesville. The teams met earlier in the year and SBS came away with a 20+-point victory. But the rematch  started out quite differently. Tandem mostly handled the SBS press early stayed close throughout the first two quarters. Caitlyn Unsworth led the way with several key buckets and Dani Cribb added a key three-pointer to help keep SBS on top. The halftime score of 22-18 left the strong contingent of SBS fans a bit nervous as the teams headed for the break.

Coach Rowe’s Cavs started the second half determined to do two things: continue to wear down the younger Tandem team with a variety of pressing defenses… and pound the ball down low. And they did. A special set offense designed to get Sarah Tabb and Ashley Foster the ball in the post resulted in early third-quarter buckets, which translated into press-induced turnovers, and the lady Cavs were on a roll. A 20-5 third quarter roll, in fact, that essentially put the game out of reach much to the delight of Trey and the dozens of SBS students who were on hand.

It seemed as if the seniors simply were not going to be denied this breakthrough game and a trip to the finals. Ashley Foster basically took over the low post, finishing with 14 points. If it’s possible to score a  “quiet” 24 points (while battling the flu!), Caitlyn U managed to do it. She has a way of making the game look easy, until you step on the court with her and try to stop her. Good luck.

One year ago after a semifinal loss, the SBS girls stood in the hallway of the Paul VI gym and determined to write a different story in 2009. A goal was set. Thanks to 12 months of hard work and determination — and a carefully planned road map set out by Coach Rowe and his staff — things are different this year. Stonebridge 53, Tandem 31.

One more game. Bring on Carlisle!

To start things off, the semi and final rounds of the JJV 8 boys and girls tournaments took place in Isle of Wight (girls) and Atlanti Shores (boys). On the boys side, StoneBridge won their semi final game whih set up a re-match with Broadwater, which had pegged SBS JJV 8 boys with their lone conference defeat earlier in the season. On the girls side, SBS’s young team extended its record to 11-3 in a thrilling double overtime victory over top-ranked Portsmouth Christian. It was sweet revenge for SBS after losing the lead and the game in overtime at PCS during the regular season. Christina Cash and Ellen Lee led the way for the Cavs in what turned out to be a 2:15 marathon that pushed Coach Cal and his team’s second game to a mid afternoon start.

By the time the girls hit the floor for their final, the JJV8 boys were putting the finishing touches on their conferene championship. Luke Unsworth and Josepth Gutshaw led the way throughout the season and are setting themselves up to be a solid inside-outside threat for SBS basketball throughout their high school careers. On the girls side, Broadwater proved to be too much but our girls continued to play hard until the final whistle. The season? A tremendous success: 11-4 record, the second place trophy in the conference tournament and a bright future for these young girls.

Coach Cal, whose day began with the trek 30 miles west to Isle of Wight for a 10am game, darted out of the gym some time passed 3pm and began the long trip to Broadwater for the boys game. Unfortunately for our boys, they fell at Broadwater, dropping them to fourth in the conference. But the day was a tremendous success, especially with two competitive schools facing off in three venues. I’m still a relative newbie to the Metro, but I can say that Broadwater is earning a fine reputation with me. Their teams always are prepared. Their kids always play hard and with respect. Their fans are cordial. I couldn’t think of a better team to face on Big Saturday.

Okay, if you are looking for some excitement… If you want to recapture what it is like to live in a “small town”…. If you want to see some really good small school basketball…. then Hampton Christian High was your destination.

For the fourth time, the boys varsity was the chosen “foil” for a Metro conference opponent’s homecoming, this time at Hampton Christian High. I say we schedule eight homecomings next year because the Cavs finish their homecoming gauntlet with an impressive 3-1 record.

I arrived with a flock of high schoolers as the first quarter was nearing the end and things looked bleak. The faithful band of 60 or so SBS fans were huddled in one corner of the bleachers, ominously quiet as the scoreboard revealed our Cavs were already down 15 points. But things started to turn. I give these boys and their coaches a lot of credit. Basically, any hopes of making the state tournament would be dashed with a loss to Hampton — ranked 12th (the last playoff spot) in the state. The boys kept fighting. Jimmy Tabb started driving to the basket. Brian got his shoulder brace. And we chipped away, cutting the lead down to two at halftime.

(BTW, I liked their “homecoming” halftime festivities. They had any alumni in attendance come out on the court and get an ovation. The the cheerleaders did a very good dance routine with the lights dimmed and spotlights on.)

Back to the game….

Not sure what happened in the third quarter, but I can tell you our band of fans — packed tightly into the far corner of the bleachers — really raised a raucous. I’d say we were outnumbered 6-to-1 but made at least as much, if not more, noise. Maybe it was because we had more highlights in the second half. There was Joel Arcieri stepping up big with some key buckets. Brian Palmer’s trademark slash to the hoop for another two. Wesley Carroll — the quickest guy on the court — playing with four fouls yet managing key buckets and clogging up the middle on defense.

We built a lead and ended up winning by a half dozen. The “Homecoming” Cavs had done it again — the onloy blemish on the homecoming record being a loss at Atlantic Shores, but I’m not sure any team public or private in Hampton Roads could beat Shores.

Breaking Down The Big City
But the real winners were both schools and their fans. In an almost magical way, these basketball games reduce our large network of cities with 1.5 million-plus residents to a small town. It was as if the entire “village” of Hampton Christian had come out to celebrate in their unique way and they invited neighboring rival StoneBridge Village to play. Our region is large enough that it is rare to see someone you meet when you are out and about, shopping at Wal Mart or visiting the mall. But here, I was among family. There’s Mark Keating with is “StoneBridge Swimming” jacket. Jim Arcieri to my left, cheering his son and the team on. The cheerleaders just over my right shoulder. There’s Trey losing his voice to lead the “Stone… what?” cheer. Phil Herring… John Cash… The girls basketball team…. Kellie Unsworth… and my co-color commentator for this game, Greg Akins.

We sat admidst Hampton Christian villagers and had good, friendly discussions about the homecoming… if their star player has received a basketball scholarship…. etc. Truth be told, it’s a village that is still in shock from losing one of its students this year to suicide. I’m sure Hampton Christian Village will still be recovering for some time to come. Hopefully, this Homecoming, surrounded by friends and family and with their good neighbors from StoneBridge Village taking part, helped in that process.

How much fun can one school’s basketball program have in one day? The StoneBridge Cavaliers basketball program, with players ranging from the sixth to twelfth grads, swept four games on three courts today in a rare “fourpleheader.”

The action got started with the JJV boys Metro tournament first round game in which the #1 ranked Cavs defeated Portsmouth Christian behind the solid play of Luke Unsworth and Joseph Gutworth. After a tight first half, the Cavs pulled away in the second half to advance to the second round.

Next up: the Lady Cavs JV team, which has been steadily gaining strength and building momentum. In this their last regular season game, the Cavs needed a win to secure the third seed in the conference tournament. Coach Crowe’s girls took a lead into halftime and then held off Hampton Christian’s strong charge in the second half.  The hard work and commitment of these girls is paying off.

Game three: After Senior Sarah Tabb received her 1,000-point ball from Athletic Director Woolard, the Lady Cavs breezed to their 66th consecutive Metro Conference win. The Lady Cavs will have the opportunity next week to extend this remarkable streak to 69 games in the Metro tournament.

The nightcap involved a trip to Isle of Wight for a rare evening game or the JJV girls team, who entered their tournament as the 4th ranked team and were seeking to avenge an earlier loss to Williamsburg Christian. It turned out to be a defensive struggle and the low-scoring affair came down to a final defensive stop by the young Lady Cavs who advanced to the semi-finals.

Whew! Over 40 kids on three courts spread out across about 40 miles.

The Pilot’s coverage of Friday’s game featured a large photo of our very own Caitlyn Unsworth pulling up for two of her 17 points (photo of print edition below). After leading early, the Cavs fell behind by 12 at the beginning of the fourth quarter before closing the gap to three with tightening defense. The Cavs then induced another turnover and were ready to take the ball in with a chance to tie until the refs conferred and refersed the call. Booker T went on a run to stretch the gap back to more than a dozen.

Still, the Cavs should come away from the game with confidence. We didn’t play our best game, got into early fould trouble, had to endure some questionable refereeing in an unfriendly environment against  a top 10 public school…. and were only down by three in the fourth quarter. This bodes well for the rest of the season.(Season record: 9-2)

Link to Pilot’s story on Friday’s game.

Friday’s Box:

StoneBridge 52, Norview 32

STONEBRIDGE: Unsworth 17, Rowe 8, Foster 10, Tabb 18, Wash 9. Totals: 21 6-9 52.

NORVIEW: Edwards 18, Acuna’ 2, Cuffee 1, Matthews 2, Harris 6, Payton 1, Lucas 2. Totals: 13 4-8.

Halftime: StoneBridge 35-13. 3-point goals: Edwards 2, Linsworth 2, Rowe 2

Print edition caption: Caitlynn Unsworth of StoneBridge, right, shoots over Lashay Lucas of Norview during a Lady Greyhound Classic tournament Friday. ( Steve Earley / The Virginian-Pilot )

When the VaPilot requested a pre-season write-up, I summarized where I thought the volleyball program was headed by saying we are a “program that is in transition from league doormat to competitor and hopefully to the top tier.” Thirteen games into the season, we’ve completed the first part of that transition which began last year — from league doormat to competitor. Lest we forget, prior to this season we had three conference wins in the program’s history. Just a few years ago, we had sixth and seventh graders forced to play varsity. Last year, the program took huge strides forward and began the path to building a competitive program. This year, we’ve completed that transition. Evidence:

–Program high in wins for a season
–Program high in conference wins
–First ever statewide ranking in Division III
–We have been competitive with every team and could have or nearly did beat every team we’ve played
–Our JV team is strong and competitive and actually quite impressive (and setting records for wins!)
–We added a JJV team to accommodate the high level of interest in volleyball and give young players more court time

Following the first game of the four-game stretch against undefeated and highly ranked Broadwater, I was told by some folks at Broadwater that we were “the best team they’ve played.” In the second game against Division II Greenbrier, we led 2-1 only to fall in five games in a very hard fought match. This week at Alliance Christian, we fought back from 0-2 and had the lead 12-8 in the fifth game before falling. And last night, we actually outscored Norfolk Christian but lost three heartbreakers: 24-26, 29-31 and 23-25.

Total points in the four games: 328-397. Last three games: 300-303.

Total points for the season thus far: 1,000-1,000

So, congrats to all the girls involved in StoneBridge volleyball! We’ve officially made it from league doormat to competitor. I’m excited as I look forward to the coming games and the conference tournament and the opportunity to establish ourselves in the conference top tier. That’s the challenge before us.

!

Game Summary: Denbigh
For a team transitioning to the upper tier of the conference, every game can provide new lessons. This game’s lesson — we cannot count on winning the match if we do not compete in the first game. The total score of the final three games was 76-76, showing that these two teams were very evenly matched. Denbigh prevailed on the strength of two-point overtime victories in games two and four. “I didn’t know volleyball could be so much fun,” said one StoneBridge parent as the two teams traded tough points in the deciding game. Credit to Denbigh — a well coached, disciplined team that competes on every point — for prevailing. But we look forward to the rematch! Ashlea Foster: 15 kills; Rachel Rowe 11 kills.

Game Summary: Hampton Christian
Hampton Christian solidified its hold on second place in the conference with a convincing victory over a young StoneBridge team that is learning what it will take to compete with the top tier teams. SBS literally lost the match on the first two service turns for Hampton in games one and two as we spotted our opponents with 10+ points which is too large of a deficit to overcome. Overall, we had 26 failed service receptions and just a 60% success rate — far below our 83% season average coming in to the game. Despite convincing losses in the first two games, SBS can take away from this match confidence that we can compete — and beat — teams like Hampton. We led the game late and had the serve at 22-22.