varsity.roanoke.com

The matinee half of a district tournament bracket tends to be the lonely side.

Early starting games are played in front of late-arriving crowds. So momentum can be lacking at times.

It didn't seem to be too much of a problem for Franklin County in Tuesday's Western Valley District volleyball semifinal at Patrick Henry High School.

The second-seeded Eagles finished strong in all three games against Halifax County and beat the Comets 25-13, 25-15, 25-17, to clinch a Northwest Region tournament berth.

And Franklin County (11-10) will get one last test before heading up to Forest Park next week, when it returns to face host and regular-season champ PH in the tournament final.

The Patriots, playing in the prime-time half of the semis, dominated George Washington, 25-13, 25-8, 25-9.

"We're always excited about playing PH," said Franklin County outside hitter Jordan Templin, who contributed 19 kills, a dig and a block. "We're good about when we play good teams, we step up our play."

Eagles coach Mindy Bowman said Templin rarely has a problem stepping up her play.

"She's my go-to girl," Bowman said. "Most nights, you can count on Jordan to get the ball down when you need it."

Bowman said the Eagles will need their hitter Thursday.

The Patriots (14-7) clinched a regional berth by winning their fourth straight WVD regular-season title.

On Tuesday, PH hosts Osbourn Park, a team it lost to in four games in September.

"Getting Franklin County again will be a good test for us," Patriots coach Pat Sheedy said. "They are a good, quality team, and their style of play will be very similar to what we'll see against Osbourn Park."

Thanks to fast starts in all three games against GW, Sheedy said the Patriots had a chance to get some needed work.

"We've got to improve our weak-side hitting and get a little stronger with our middle blocking," Sheedy said.

Plus the Patriots are using this week to give their younger players a chance to see significant time on the floor. There were times in both the second and third games where PH had five freshmen in the lineup.

"It's pretty amazing to see how far we've come," said junior Liz Brailsford, who had six kills and three blocks, but spent most of the last two games watching from the sidelines. "To see where everyone was on Day 1 to where we are now is exciting.

"Everyone has kind of meshed, and we're really beginning to play well."