The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy volleyball team was red-hot this week as they upset two opponents to finish the regular season.

The Lady Saints are heading into the postseason with some serious momentum. They took on Steward School at home Tuesday night and got an upset win. Steward came into that matchup as the No. 2 ranked team in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II poll. NSA was ranked fifth at the time of the game.

NSA followed that win up with a home win against Hickory High School 3-2 Thursday evening in another upset fashion. Addy Greene had 21 kills, and Livian Mathews had seven kills and six blocks. Crystiana McCollum added 39 assists. Coach Robyn Ross said she told the team the strong opponents would prepare them for the playoffs this coming week.

“The girls have worked really, really hard on the things they know we need to work on,” Ross said. “Mentally we prepared harder for these last two games, and it really paid off big. Watching all of that pay off was the best part to see.”

NSA finished the regular season with an 18-5 record. They had won their last nine games despite overcoming adversity throughout the season. Significant injuries caused the Lady Saints to regroup; however, they finally caught their rhythm. With the playoffs here, the team knows the standard.

“We have worked on our strengths to hide our weakness, and it really paid off,” Ross said. “The cool thing is the older players have really helped the younger players. It has definitely left a lot less for me to say. We have great leadership and huge support from the school, and that just makes every year really fun.”

“We are definitely in a good mindset right now,” Greene said. “We know what is ahead of us, and we know we are going to have to fight for what we want. Nothing will be given, and these games definitely put us in a good mindset heading into the playoffs.”

NSA 3, Hickory 2

18-25, 25-15, 25-20, 16-25, 16-14