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Monday, Nov. 11 -- Second-seeded Alleghany defeated the 11th-seeded Rockbridge County High School volleyball team 3-1 in the semifinals of the Region 3C tournament in Covington.
The Cougars (24-3) advanced to the regional finals and clinched a Class 3 state tournament berth with a 23-25, 25-5, 25-22, 25-20 victory over the Wildcats (12-11).
Kendra Dressler tallied 41 assists and three service aces as Alleghany picked up its 13th consecutive win. Kaiya Lian recorded a match-high 15 kills for the Cougars, while Laken Tingler tallied 14 kills and Bryce Leitch contributed 13 kills and five blocks.
Jada Hamilton paced RC with 12 kills and chipped in 10 digs, while Mackenzie McCormick totaled nine kills and a game-high five aces. Maisen Mckemy finished with 27 assists and three aces for the 'Cats, and Geneva Snyder totaled seven kills. Rebekah Allen led the defensive effort with 16 digs, and Ava Crocker tallied 12.
The Wildcats set the tone early, sprinting out to an 11-4 lead in the opener behind the strength of two McCormick aces and a pair of kills from Snyder. Lian and Leitch, who combined for 11 kills in the set, helped bring Alleghany back, as the Cougars rallied to within 11-10 and later tied things up at 16-16.
The momentum swung back and forth for the rest of the frame. Two straight Hamilton kills helped RC assume a 19-16 lead, but consecutive swings from Leitch and a Hannah Hensley ace knotted things up again at 19-19. Two Mckemy aces keyed a 5-0 Wildcat run to take the visitors to set point; after four straight kills from four different Cougars, a block from Anna Nye and Emmy Duff clinched the opener for the 'Cats.
But Alleghany snuffed out any momentum for the underdogs with a powerhouse second set, sprinting out to a 10-1 lead and never letting RC find its footing. After failing to record a block in the opening set, the Cougars notched four among their first 11 points in the second, and some overhitting from the Wildcats -- who posted seven attacking errors in the stanza -- allowed Alleghany to even things up at a set apiece.
The third set was a battle, featuring six ties and four lead changes. RC was ahead 12-11 near the midway point, but a 4-0 mini-run from the Cougars put them in front for good at 15-12. Alleghany would stretch the margin to 19-14, and while three late kills from Snyder kept the Wildcats close, the Cougars ultimately grabbed a 2-1 advantage.
Alleghany tallied the first six points of the fourth set and never relinquished the lead. RC stayed within striking distance, getting four kills apiece from Hamilton and McCormick in the frame, but the Cougars' offense -- Leitch, Lian and Tingler all recorded four kills in the set, while Dressler had 12 assists -- proved to be too much to overcome.
Hensley posted six kills and three blocks for Alleghany, and Lainie McCormick totaled four blocks. Nye had two kills and one block for the Wildcats.
The Cougars will travel to top seed Liberty Christian Academy for the Region 3C championship on Wednesday.
