DATE: Saturday, November 15, 1997           TAG: 9711150402

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C8   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BRIAN J. FRENCH, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: MECHANICSVILLE, VA.               LENGTH:   45 lines

SALEM GIRLS REACH FINAL OF GROUP AAA VOLLEYBALL

April Sexton left Friday's Salem-Woodbridge match before the second game with lower-back cramps, but also with her Sun Devils seemingly cruising to victory.

When she came back in the fourth game, Salem had blown a two-game lead and was in danger of being forced into a fifth set.

Sexton responded by scoring five of her seven kills in the fourth game as the Sun Devils defeated the Vikings 15-6, 15-4, 8-15, 15-12 in a Group AAA girls semifinal.

Jenny Harmon added 17 kills and six blocks while Trish Callen was 25 of 26 serving for Salem, which advances to the state final for the first time in school history.

The Sun Devils today will play Mills Godwin, which defeated Cave Spring 15-1, 7-15, 15-10, 15-8. It's the fourth time Mills Godwin has reached the state final in five years.

``It doesn't even feel like we're going for a state title yet,'' said Sexton, who also recorded four blocks.

After the first two games, there didn't seem to be much reason to hurry Sexton back.

The Sun Devils shook off a sluggish start to score 22 of the match's next 23 points - including scoring the first five points of the second game in two minutes - physically dominating their opponents.

But then . . .

``They started congratulating themselves too early,'' Salem coach Owen Dixon said.

The Knights took advantage of the premature relaxation, going on a game-ending six-point run in the third set and taking a 12-10 lead in the fourth before the Sun Devils finally pulled away.

``You don't like to play down to the level of your opponent,'' Dixon said. ``Woodbridge is a good team, but we won the first two games so easily, the kids started looking ahead.''

Vikings coach Mike Petock still had reason to be satisfied at the end.

``We didn't pass well and we didn't force them to side out, which is our game plan,'' Petock said. ``Once they realized they had nothing to lose, they started playing their heart out. It took real guts for them to come back.''

Salem's win is its first in three state semifinal matches; last year, the Sun Devils lost to state champion Cox.

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