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by Seneca Contomanolis
DigitalSports Richmond

A warning to every girls vollyeball team in Virginia: Deep Run repeated as state champions and they only had one senior.

The Wildcats won their second consecutive state Group AAA championship with an impressive 3-0 victory over Northern Region champion Langley at VCU's Siegel Center on Saturday night.

Deep Run is the first team to win back-to-back titles since C.D. Hylton did it during the 1993-94 seasons. This was the third consecutive year that the Wildcats had made it to the title match.

"I wish I could put this feeling in a bottle and save it for a rainy day," Deep Run coach Terra Balla said. "I can't put into words what this feels like."

That one senior leaving is Alyssa Lang and in her last high school match she put together a good all-around performance with 12 kills, 16 digs and six aces. The Colonial District co-player of the year is headed to the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, where she will play volleyball.

"This win completed my high school career," Lang said. "This is a great way to go out."

Juniors Meghann Forshey (10 kills, three blocks, 15 digs), Lindsey McClellan (29 assists, eight digs) and Erin Anderson, sophomore Mallory Woolridge (seven kills, two blocks) and freshman Chaney LaReau will be part of a core group of players left behind that should make a run at becoming the first team ever to three-peat.

"I expect them to win it next year," Lang said. "They are only losing me."

It appeared that the Wildcats were going to run away with Game 1. The Saxons and 6-3 Lisa Scott had trouble getting anything going offensively due in large part to the strong net play of the 'Twin Towers,' Forshey (6-0) and Woolridge (6-2). Everytime Scott or the 6-0 Logan Sebastian went to spike the ball Deep Run made sure to have a hand in their face.

The Wildcats (24-5) went up 14-5 and then 22-13 behind some strong serving from Lang and multiple kills from Forshey. Scott then led the Saxons on a 9-1 run to get within one but Deep Run held on for a 25-23 victory.

Game 2 was all Deep Run as it seemed some of the energy had been sucked out of Langley from dropping the first game. McClellan continually set-up Forshey, Woolridge and Lang for easy kills, Callie Armistead dug tough balls and the Wildcats took the game 25-16.

The third game was a battle as the teams traded points and leads but with the Saxons (24-2) leading 20-19, the Wildcats closed the match on a 6-2 streak to win 25-22 and capture the state crown.

"They [Langley] are a good team that has improved a lot over the season," Balla said. "Our team took all the emotion and tense feelings that goes along with playing these matches and came out and did a great job of executing the things that we talked about."

Woolridge, who was only a freshman when Deep Run won it last season, could not believe what she and her teammates had accomplished.

"I honestly never thought during the regular season that we would be here. I couldn't imagine us doing it again," Woolridge said.

Many people have said that defending a championship is harder then winning the first one. Balla did not say which was tougher but she did say there were some differences.

"I think this time we faced a lot more adversity with three kids being out with mono during the season," Balla said. "The first one was more emotional because we had got within three points of winning the title in 2005. This one was well earned though. Everybody wanted this but Alyssa led us to it."

Lang's influence on the team has gone far beyond the physical aspects of the game as she helped Deep Run be mentally tough throughout the regular season and post season.

"I know some of them didn't know what it was like to be here," Lang said. "I told them to just embrace the situation."

Now with her final match as a Wildcat behind her, someone else will have to take that spot of team leader on a squad that will be loaded to defend their title again next season.

"A lot of teams are losing seniors but we are losing only one. She is the heart of our team though," Forshey said.

Said Balla: "That one senior is a big part of our puzzle but Chaney and others stepped up over the year. Next year is next year but the outlook looks real good."

Langley     23 16 22
Deep Run  25 25 25
Records: Langley (24-2); Deep Run (24-5)