YORKTOWN, VA (WTKR)- The faces may change as senior classes come and go, but the results have stayed the same when it comes to Grafton volleyball.
The Clippers once again dominated the Bay Rivers District, running the table against district opponents and rolling into the Region 3A Tournament. Grafton topped Lakeland in the region quarterfinals Tuesday night, 3-0.
"Considering that we graduated six seniors that were all starters and really only returned two, we're getting better every night," head coach David Keeter said after the victory.
"11 juniors last year got to learn from those six amazing seniors," added junior setter Kaylie Klemm. "Even though most of us sat the bench, it was still such an experience going to practice every day and getting to know them."
Grafton has owned the district and their respective region for the better part of the last decade, building a program that has had consistent success. Keeter says the hard work and expectations begin at the middle school level and a handful of freshman opt to forego junior varsity volleyball and jump right to the varsity level so they can put in the more intense work.
"It's our culture," he noted. "We talk about like it's a right of passage here, so to come in and think you're going to start as a freshman is not always going to happen. You've got to work yourself on the court."
"We don't want to be that team that just falls off, especially with this legacy that we have winning and going to states every year," senior outside hitter Alexis Keeter said. "I think that really holds us and keeps us at a high standard at all times."
Advancing deep into the state tournament has become a habit for the Clippers. They've moved on to the state championship game in each of the last six years, only to fall one win short of what has become an elusive title. This season finds Grafton moving from Class 4 to Class 3, but it doesn't matter where the team is, the players and coaches prepare and play the same way.
"Part of the drive for most of the juniors is to live up to the legacy that all the seniors leave every year," Klemm pointed out. "We drive ourselves to make it states because it's part of the Grafton legacy."
Will this year's senior class be the first to lead the Clippers to a state crown? That remains to be seen. They'll push forward one match at a time, but the thought has certainly entered the mind of the senior Keeter.
"It would be insane," she smiled at the thought of hoisting that trophy. "It's just a huge dream to have and I always just want to push. I think I think about it every day. Even if I'm not in-season, I'm always like 'if we win states, I don't know what I would do.'"
"We try to prepare for a Loudoun County team always, whether we're playing them or not," Coach Keeter added. "We want to be the best team in the state. We're not really happy with just being the best in the Bay Rivers."
Grafton takes the court in the Region 3A semifinals Thursday night against either Tabb or I.C. Norcom at 6:00 PM.
