Photos by Jim & Regina Devinney
When William Byrd visits Lord Botetourt for a Blue Ridge District volleyball game next Tuesday, it will be for more than a district win. It will be a fundraiser for a very important cause as the event is a fundraiser to “Spike Out Kids Cancer.”
It’s appropriate that these two teams play in this game, as both schools lost beloved classmates to cancer in the past year, Dalton Close at LB and Cam Thepsimuong at William Byrd. Dalton’s mother will be speaking at the event.
“Last year we raised over $8,000 for the event and things will be very similar as last year with the silent auction, raffle, serving contest and bake sale,” said LB coach Samantha Wilkins. “One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit the local Life Ring organization to help children with cancer and rare blood disorders in our area to have quality care here at home without having to travel such long distances for treatments.”
Some terrific items have been donated for the auction. For Virginia Tech fans, there will be a football autographed by Tech coach James Franklin, a VT lunch pail signed by former defensive coordinator Bud Foster, a basketball signed by Tech women’s coach Megan Duffy and a Hokie Wall Plaque and four piece glass set. Other items include tickets to the Rail Yard Dawgs hockey games, a one year membership to the Taubman Museum, golf at three different area courses and much, much more.
The jayvee game will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the varsity to tip off at 7 p.m. T-shirts commemorating the event will be on sale for $20 and there’s also a 50-50 raffle. It will be a big night for a great cause and a large turnout is anticipated to watch two good high school volleyball rivals go at it.
The Cavaliers are 7-4 after finishing in third place in the Kirk Narin Foundation volleyball tournament in Abingdon last Saturday. LB played five best-of-three matches and won four, including wins over Castlewood, Lebanon, Northwood and Magna Vista. The only loss was a 25-21, 25-17 loss to Christiansburg, a team the Cavaliers beat in five sets last Tuesday in Daleville.
Christiansburg was the Class 3 state runner-up in 2025 and the LB girls were pumped up for revenge after losing a thrilling five setter in Christiansburg in their second match of the season. In that match LB won the first two sets and was on the verge of a sweep before the Demons battled back to win the third set, 26-24, and went on to win the match.
This time Christiansburg won an “extra points” first set, 28-26. Botetourt won by two in the second to even the match, 25-23, but the Demons went ahead two sets to one with a 25-13 win in the third. It went extra points again in the fourth set but Botetourt pulled even with a 29-27 win, then capped off the marathon with a 15-5 win in the fifth and deciding set for a huge win.
Ava Stephens finished the win with 23 kills and seven blocks. Sydney Bergsten had 18 kills and three blocks and Addison Naff had 10 kills, 16 digs and a pair of aces. Lilly Crenshaw dished out 49 assists and also had 15 digs and four aces on a long but exciting night of high school volleyball.
The Cavaliers were scheduled to host Franklin County in their Blue Ridge District opener on Tuesday, but results were too late for publication. The LB girls are at Staunton River Thursday.
