he Fort Defiance High School volleyball team entered Saturday’s Class 2 state championship match undefeated with only three lost sets all season and none in their last 18 contests.
Radford was unintimated by that.
The Bobcats themselves hadn’t tasted defeat since August and weren’t about to do so in the title match. They took down the Indians in four hard-fought sets, 25-20, 25-19, 16-25, 25-23, at the Salem Civic Center to win their first state championship since 2019.
Radford players react to winning the Class 2 state volleyball championship.
David Hungate- Special to The Roanoke Times
“I am just super proud of our team. We came in, in my opinion, as the underdogs, all year actually,” Radford head coach Karen Adams said. “I think about the newspapers in the beginning of the season when they were saying notable teams to watch, they didn’t say Radford. When they said notable players to watch, they didn’t say a single Radford player. We put “pressure is a privilege” on the backs of our warmup shirts and we talked about it a lot, and they came in and they took care of business tonight.”
Radford (25-1) finishes the season on a 24-match winning streak, capturing the title on a thrilling 16-hit rally.
Radford head coach Karen Adams raises her hands in victory as her team rushes the court after beating Fort Defiance to claim the Class 2 volleyball state championship Saturday.
David Hungate- Special to The Roanoke Times
“We definitely love a rally. Our team loves a rally, we like to fight, we like that long rally and the thought of the scoreboard being 24-23 was so surreal. You don’t feel like it’s real, and the second we got that point, it was a whole nother level of excitement that comes over your body. Your body just falls to the floor and you have no control of your body. It’s just something so amazing I hope everyone can experience.”
Fort Defiance went on a 7-0 run early to take an 8-5 lead and the momentum early, but Radford battled back, leveling the opening frame at 13-13. The teams went back and forth until the Bobcats, tied 18-18, won seven of the next nine points, including four of the last five, to pull out the first set.
Radford’s Mattox Adams successfully digs for the save during Saturdays Class 2 volleyball state championship against Fort Defiance at the Salem Civic Center..
David Hungate- Special to The Roanoke Times
After losing the first two points of the second set, Radford went on a 9-0 run and led 12-5. Fort Defiance clawed back with the help of a 6-0 run and eventually leveled the frame at 15-15. After falling behind 17-16, the Bobcats won seven straight points and converted their set point for a two-sets-to-none lead.
The third set was a back-and-forth through the early stages until Fort Defiance, trailing 12-11, went on a 7-1 run to take an 18-13 advantage. Leading 20-16, the Indians rattled off five straight points to win the frame and keep their title hopes alive.
Radford’s Emma Yates (left) and Shannon Wade (center) block Fort Defiance’s Autumn Weber’s shot during Saturdays Class 2 volleyball state championship at the Salem Civic Center..
“We knew coming in, the only way to win this was to play as one unit together, and they did that,” said Adams, who recorded her third state title as head coach. “They did that throughout the year when things got hard, they did it tonight when it got hard. Fort Defiance is a solid team, and we had to play consistently and together to make that happen.”
Radford trailed 14-11 in the fourth but used a 9-1 run to pull ahead. The two teams largely went back and forth until Fort Defiance managed to level the frame at 23-23. Raelin Adams hammered down a kill to bring up match point, then she and Emma Yates teamed up to successfully block a shot and sent the Bobcats into jubilation.
Radford’s Jaylyn Holt goes to the net with Fort Defiance’s Savannah Crookshanks during Saturdays Class 2 volleyball state championship at the Salem Civic Center..
“We have six seniors, I’ve known them for a really long time and have watched them grow,” Adams said. “They’ve had to work to be resilient together to overcome those tough moments and to really dig deep with every single point, and move forward.”
Contact Matt Case at mcase@roanoke.com