Photo by Bryant Altizer
The James River girls will host Glenvar in a big Three Rivers District volleyball match in Springwood Thursday. River is hoping to turn the tables on the Highlanders after falling in three sets in a prior match.
Glenvar, like James River, has been traditionally strong on the volleyball court. The Highlanders won the state championship in 2022 and ’23 and, after an off year in ’24, they’re back in the mix with a 13-2 record through last week.
James River is 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the Three Rivers after splitting two matches last week. The Knights beat Carroll County at home in three sets and then lost at Radford in three.
Against Carroll the Knights won 26-24, 25-22 and 25-17. Ayden Jennings had 34 assists and Ashby Wilkes had 19 kills and 20 digs for River. Sydnee Breeding had 10 kills and 13 digs.
“We had a great night passing and putting the ball away,” said coach Linsey Firebaugh. “We seemed very confident in our play and played well as a team.”
At Radford on Thursday the Knights lost 25-23, 25-19 and 25-22.
“We are very talented, we just need to push through to finish,” said Firebaugh. “We make too many mistakes in crucial moments, but we are young and will learn from those mistakes.”
