Grace Christian Plays Tuesday In VACA Quarterfinals

Grace Christian School begins play in the VACA state volleyball tournament in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round. The Warriors will be on the road and travel to play Timberlake Christian at 5:30 p.m.

Grace earned the North Region’s No. 3 seed by defeating rival Ridgeview Christian in the region’s third place game this past weekend.

Ridgeview, the No. 4 seed in the fourth, played its state quarterfinal on Monday, losing at Westover Christian, 3-0.

Saturday, the Warriors came out strong, winning the first set against Ridgeview, 25-18.

The Crusaders rallied and won the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Ridgeview held a slim 15-13 lead in the second set before a kill by Karina Kwiecinski and an ace by Moriah Nice sparked a 4-0 spurt for a 19-14 lead and the visitors went on to close out the set 25-17.

The Warriors used a 4-0 run in the third set to open a 20-12 lead and won the set 25-16.

The Warriors stayed alive by controlling play in the fourth set to even the score.

A block by Sara Young and a kill from the back row by Finley Bussiere gave Grace a 3-2 edge. A kill by Amelia Rylak and an ace from Margaret Shomo pushed the lead to 5-2.

The Warriors led 10-6 before taking command with five straight points. Ella Moffett’s ace and a combined block by Jessie Greenmun and Addie Fitzgerald highlighted the run that put Grace ahead 15-6. The Warriors continued to pad the lead with a kill by Greenmun making the score 23-11. Ridgeview scored three straight points before the Warriors added the clinching point to win the fourth set 25-14.

Grace carried its momentum into the final set to take the victory, pulling away to win the fifth set 15-6.