That the Atlee girls volleyball team won the Central Region girls volleyball championship is no surprise. What was a surprise was how quickly the Raiders dispatched perennial power

Deep Run in the region tournament final last night at Hanover High. Atlee won 25-20, 25-20, 25-12. The match took a little more than an hour to play.

When Atlee won a regular season meeting between the teams Oct. 25 at Atlee, the match went five sets.

The Raiders bolted to a 14-2 lead in the opening game.

“We jumped out so quickly, I was worried,” Atlee coach Curtis Carpenter said. “They’re a better team than that, and it showed.”

The Wildcats trailed 21-5 when they put together a 13-point streak that closed the gap to 22-18. Carpenter called timeout, but Deep Run scored again to make it 22-19. Atlee regained focus and stretched the margin to 24-19.

“We tried not to get too excited and tried to keep calm, and it worked,” Atlee’s Karlie Suber said.

Deep Run scored one more point before Atlee closed out the game.

“We operate best when we’re relaxed,” Deep Run coach Terra Balla said. “You saw it when we were behind 21-5 and went on the run. You got a glimpse of what we can do when we’re relaxed.”

The rally was the high point of the match for the Wildcats. They led for a couple of points in the second set, but the Raiders pulled even at 13 and finished the set with four consecutive points while senior Jordyn Richardson was serving.

The third game opened with Hailey Brooks jump serving the Raiders to eight consecutive points. Richardson served during a five point run, and Morgan Schute, another of the four seniors on the team, served for the match.

“The crowd was cheering. I was nervous, and I wanted to make it a good one. It was nerve wracking, but exciting at the same time,” Schute said.

The serve was a good one, and when Meg Bowers put away the return for the final point, the Raiders celebrated their first region championship.

“When the girls are calm and playing smoothly they can be scary good,” Carpenter said. “I don’t think I’ve seen them play their best yet.”

Atlee will play host to the Northwest Region runner-up Tuesday in a state Group AAA quarterfinal. Deep Run will be on the road at the Northwest champion.

Arthur Utley is a staff writer for the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Deep Run .....................................20 20 12
Atlee ............................................25 25 25
Highlights: Chaney LaReau (DR) 10 kills, 7 digs; Suzy Rosser (DR) 6 kills, 6 digs, block; Ashley Dintaman (DR) 21 assists, 5 digs; Hailey Brooks (A) 7 kills, 10 digs, 5 aces; Karlie Suber (A) 7 kills, 5 digs; Kayleigh Moody (A), 5 kills, 4 blocks; Katy Stiles (A) 7 kills; Meg Bowers (A) 6 kills; Courtney Booth (A) 5 kills; Jordyn Richardson (A) 5 aces.
Records: Deep Run 24-6; Atlee 25-1