On Tuesday November 19, the ACHS varsity girls volleyball team will take on the Chantilly Chargers in the State tournament semifinals. The last time these two teams played each other it was in the State tournament semifinals exactly two years ago. The Titans got the best of that match up winning 3-1 and went on to win the State title. 

“The last time we were here [State Semifinals] we played Chantilly as well so it feels like a full circle moment from my sophomore year to senior year” said by senior Ellie Griffy, who played in the game 2 years ago against Chantilly, and was able to record an impressive 6 digs in the win. “I think that game really taught me that no matter what happens, always stay calm and believe in yourself,” she said. 

The Titans are coming off of an impressive win in the State tournament quarterfinals against the Grassfield Grizzlies where they won, 3 sets to their 2. The Titans were led by junior Alicia Randall who in the 5th and final set of the game was able to block the opposing team from scoring and managed to secure an ace. 

“I usually get nervous in the beginning for games, but once I start playing the feeling goes away and the team’s energy helps me calm down,” said Junior Alicia Randall

The Chantilly Charges are ranked 11th in Virginia and have only lost twice all year, winning most games with their opponents unable to win a set at all. They are coming off of a dominant win, winning in straight sets against the Patriot Pioneers. 

However, the Titans are not worried about this at all. “This team has worked so hard and has proved a lot of people wrong when it comes to how far we’ve made it in the postseason,” said Head Coach Danielle Thorne who is in her fourth year coaching the team and already has one state championship under her belt, winning in 2022.

 “I think Chantilly will underestimate us and we will use that to our advantage,” said Thorne.  

Throughout the whole playoffs the Titans have been doing many things to make sure they are always fully focused to win before every game making sure to think about what to focus on during the game. 

“Before every playoff game as a team we always create a manifest list of all the things we want to do for the upcoming game. This could include things like aggressive serves in, big blocks, and scrappy defense. We have found that creating this list helps us to focus on the things we want to accomplish in a positive mindset,” said Thorne. 

The Titans will be relying on many players against Chantilly, one of them being senior Josephine Damico-Lassan who leads the team in serving aces and aces per set. 

“We want to keep them out of system as much as we can by serving aggressively so they don’t have a chance to run their offense. In terms of our offense, we plan to stay aggressive and aim for deep corners,” said senior Josephine Damico-Lassman.

The Titans have had one practice between the quarter finals and semi finals, where they worked on everything to prepare them for this game. 

“They will be a tough opponent, but I think we will be able to come away with the win,” said Thorne.