Thomas Dale’s players filed off the court quickly, expressing frustration at not being able to play as well as they would have liked.

The Thomas Dale boys volleyball team swept Great Bridge in three games this afternoon to advance to the VHSL state championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Knights will play the winner of the Deep Run-Frank Cox game, which will begin shortly at the Siegel Center. Bradley Johnson led Thomas Dale with 19 kills. Zach Seymour added 13.—Michael Phillips

Deep Run High School has given its lacrosse opponents a sneak preview for the 2009 season. The two-word scouting report: Look out.

Even in a sport as fiercely individualistic as cross country, sometimes being on a team is the most meaningful part of racing. At Great Meadow yesterday, the Midlothian girls won their fourth straight Group AAA title. Trojans junior Kathleen Lautzenheiser, the 2007 champion, raced along side senior Stacey Nobles of Ocean Lakes. With less than a half-mile remaining, Nobles began to press the pace.

The first time the Thomas Dale and Deep Run boys volleyball teams played this season, Thomas Dale dispatched the visiting Wildcats three sets to none in little more than hour.

Jake Snyder, Deep Run High School’s relentless, senior defensive end, always has a hankering for pinning quarterbacks on their backs.

A rain delay for an indoor volleyball match isn’t your normal occurrence. A leaky roof at Patrick Henry High last night halted play in the second game between Deep Run and Highland Springs.

Kathleen Lautzenheiser and the Midlothian girls successfully defended their Central Region title yesterday at Pole Green Park. With about a mile remaining, Lautzenheiser and teammate Amy Witt began to break away from the pack. “I think pretty much it was me and Amy the entire way,“ Lautzenheiser said. “I could hear people behind me, but I never actually saw anyone. . . . During the last mile, I kind of tried to push a little bit ahead to see if she would hang with me, I guess. And it was hot, so both of us were tired and I just happened to maybe have a little bit of a better day.“

Ben Dejarnette turned in another dominating win in the Central Region Cross Country tournament yesterday at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville.

Michael Johnson ripped off a crucial 50-yard run with 50 seconds remaining in the game to set up Hermitage’s 14-7 victory over Deep Run and the inside track on the Colonial District title.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - St. Catherine’s took home the LIS Division I girls tennis title for the second consecutive year and finished out the season undefeated in the conference both this year and last. No. 1 singles player Callie Whitlock, No. 2 singles Anne Garland and No. 4 singles Allie Gullquist were all undefeated in each of their matches this season, and Whitlock and Garland were unbeaten in doubles.

Saturday’s and the week ahead

Last night’s top performers

Yesterday’s prep football scores

Three fourth-quarter touchdowns from Douglas Freeman weren’t enough to overtake visiting Hermitage, which held on to claim a 34-28 Colonial District shootout last night