Towson High has a proud volleyball tradition and would like nothing more than to win the program?s seventh straight regional title and first state championship since 2001.
However, before the Generals (11-4) can do that, they must first get through a difficult Class 3A North Region. Tonight, they play at Baltimore City champion Western in the semifinals. Towson reached this point with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Franklin, while Western had an easier time in its 3-0 sweep of Carver Vo-Tech.
“I think it was good for us to have a tough match like we did against Franklin,” Towson coach Jayne Lacy said. “It showed us we need to be more consistent with our passing, serving and hitting. But it also showed us we can come back when we have to in tough situations. It?s very promising when you can win a match like that.”
Whoever wins in the Towson-Western match will face the winner of Patapsco and top-seeded Catonsville. The Comets? lone two losses came against Dulaney, one of which was last week in the Baltimore County championship. Should Towson and Catonsville win their respective matches, it would be a rematch of last year?s regional final, which the Generals won. However, the Comets won the last meeting between the two schools when they faced each other earlier this year.
The 3A East is quite competitive, too. All four remaining teams come from Howard County. In the top half of the bracket, reigning state champion Centennial (13-1) hosts Mount Hebron (12-4), while Wilde Lake (9-8) visits River Hill (13-3).
“This is a very tough bracket,” said River Hill coach Sybil Modispacher, whose team advanced with a sweep of Severna Park Monday. “It?s great to see four Howard County teams get to this level. We?re playing well right now, but we know we have room for improvement if we?re going to continue to advance.”
Outside the 3A, there are a number of other interesting regional semifinal matches to watch for, including Hereford (10-3) at Loch Raven (13-2) in the 2A North and Perry Hall (11-6) at Thomas Johnson (15-0) in the 4A North. Perry Hall advanced past the quarterfinals with a 3-2 upset at Kenwood (12-3).
VOLLEYBALL REGIONAL SEMIFINALS WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE
CLASS 1A NORTH
Sparrows Point at Digital Harbor, 5 p.m.
Reginald Lewis at Southside, 5
CLASS 2A NORTH
Northwestern at Poly, 5
Hereford at Loch Raven, 5
CLASS 3A EAST
Mount Hebron at Centennial, 5
Wilde Lake at River Hill, 5
CLASS 3A NORTH
Patapsco at Catonsville, 5
Towson at Western, 5
CLASS 4A EAST
Thomas Stone at Broadneck, 5
South River at Leonardtown, 5
CLASS 4A NORTH
Perry Hall at Thomas Johnson, 5
Sherwood at Dulaney, 5
*Times are subject to change. Please contact school to verify.
