The Atlee and Osbourn Park girls volleyball teams began their Virginia High School League Group AAA tournament quarterfinal on a level playing floor. Osbourn Park, the Northwest Region runner-up and visitors last night at Atlee, didn’t know much about the Raiders, who are in the state tournament for the first time.

Atlee, the Central Region champions, didn’t know much about the Yellow Jackets either.

“We didn’t know what to expect. There are a lot of options there,” Osbourn Park coach Michelle Blue said of the Raiders, who used their usual balanced attack to eliminate the Yellow Jackets 25-23, 25-23, 25-20. “They came out ready to play. We really didn’t get anything clicking. They’re a good serving team, and we couldn’t get past their defense.”

Atlee (26-1) had six players with seven or more digs and four players with six to eight kills each.

“We want to show we can come from every angle,” said Atlee middle and outside hitter Meg Bowers.

Said Raiders coach Curtis Carpenter, “You never know where we’re attacking from and that helps us a lot.”

The Raiders used a five point run with Jordyn Richardson serving to take the early lead in game one. Atlee led 17-13 when the Yellow Jackets (25-4) put together their best run of the night, six points, to go up 19-17. But the Raiders pulled even at 21 on a block by Bowers and Courtney Booth. The teams were tied at 22, but a Bowers kill and a Kayleigh Moody block put Atlee in front for good. Moody finished the opening set with a kill.

“We came out a little nervous because it’s states, but we shook it off and got better through the first game,” said Bowers, a junior, who contributed seven kills, five aces and 10 digs. “The second game was better.”

Atlee built a 19-11 lead in the second game before Osbourn Park rallied. The Yellow Jackets trailed 24-23 but handed Atlee the winning point when a kill attempt missed wide.

“We kept them out of system, and their big jumpers didn’t take a lot of big swings against us,” Carpenter said. “Our big guns didn’t have a great night, but somebody else always steps up.”

After falling behind early in the third game, the Raiders took a 10-7 lead and never trailed again.

The match-winning point came on a Yellow Jackets’ serving error.

Osbourn Park has qualified for the state tournament seven times since 1996, but it lost in the quarterfinals for the sixth straight time. The Raiders will play Northern Region champion Stone Bridge in the 5 p.m. semifinal at the Siegel Center Thursday. Deep Run, which defeated Heritage-Leesburg last night, is in the second semifinal against Kellam at 7.

“We’re still getting used to playing stronger teams, but we’re getting better at it,” Bowers said.

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

Osbourn Park…...........................23 23 20
Atlee ............................................25 25 25

Highlights: Erikka Davis (OP) 11 kills, 10 digs; Aricquel Payne (OP) 10 kills, 15 digs; Alyssa Sanchez (OP) 18 digs; Nikki McMillan (OP) 28 assists; Morgan Brown (OP) 5 blocks; Karlie Suber (A) 8 kills, 12 digs, 12 assists; Meg Bowers (A) 7 kills, 5 aces, 10 digs; Hailey Brooks (A) 22 assists, 7 digs; Kayleigh Moody (A) 7 kills; Courtney Booth (A) 6 kills, 10 digs; Morgan Schute (A) 12 digs.
Records: Osbourn Park 25-4; Atlee 26-