Lindside – When Mya Dunlap stepped up to serve it spelled certain doom for Bluefield.
The talented junior had keyed steady runs for James Monroe in the first two sets against the Beavers and slammed the door shut once more, turning an 18-4 lead into 25-4 victory in the third and final set of the Mavericks’ 3-0 Class AA Region 3 tournament victory Tuesday night in Lindside.
The win sets up a Thursday matchup between Liberty and James Monroe back in Lindside with the winner advancing to the Region 3 co-final.
The top-seeded Mavericks swept the Beavers 25-6, 25-3 and 25-4 with Dunlap, the regular season ace leader for her squad, keying lengthy runs.
“We’ll put out targets in the back corners there and let her serve to that,” James Monroe head coach Julie Bradley said. “She’s long and lean and she just has a nice swing and follow through and the ball just breaks and curves on them. She just keeps practicing and doing it and it’s hard to block her at the net too. She’s got an arm swing that’s crazy and she can just cut a ball really well.”
Bradley had to hold her horses before she could let them take the court.
Bluefield opened the ninth in the No. 8-9 matchup with Summers County, a match that went the distance with Bluefield ultimately pulling out a 3-2 victory.
The Beavers took sets one and two 25-18 and 26-24 while the Bobcats struck in two and four with victories of 25-18 on both occasions. The Beavers took the final set 15-12.
When James Monroe did get a chance to take the court after nearly two hour of waiting, the Mavericks spent considerably less time on it, wrapping their match in quick fashion.
It was status quo for the top-seeded squad which has drop just one set and won every match against regional foes this season.
“We talked before the game started that you have to be ready from the get go,” Bradley said. “These teams here have nothing to lose and everything to gain and we have things to lose. We can’t let the get any kind of momentum and take over. We’ve got to play our game and start fast.”
James Monroe has played Liberty twice this season, beating the Raiders 2-0 on both occasions.
“They’re going to come in ready to play and we can’t let up,” Bradley said. “We’ve got to stay focused and play our game. They’re scrappy and they’ll get a ball up. We can’t let them get some momentum and let them get a tip.”
Summers will travel to Midland Trail for an elimination game on Thursday with the winner facing Bluefield on Nov. 3.
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