Nansemond-Suffolk’s girls volleyball team has at least one, and the Lady Saints are planning for two, more matches left to its season.

Finally, the Lady Saints know they won’t see rival Norfolk Academy again after the Tidewater Conference mates clashed for the fourth time this season, ending in NSA’s third win in those four contests, in the first round of the Virginia Independent Schools State Tournament Tuesday night at NSA. NSA rallied after dropping the opening set to advance to the state semifinals in four sets, 20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20.

After being swept at Norfolk Academy in September, NSA beat NA in four sets three weeks ago. NSA got by NA in five sets in the TCIS Tournament semifinals last Tuesday. The Lady Saints and Lady Bulldogs met as the No. 4 and 5 seeds in the state, respectively, for, one way or the other, the final time this year.

NSA took early leads in all four sets. In the last three, it was a matter of keeping the momentum rolling to finish out each set. The Lady Saint attack kept coming thanks largely to Quinby Hines setting for 48 assists.

After NSA opened the match with a 5-0 lead, Norfolk Academy answered and led most of the way after moving in front at 11-10.

Kaylor Nash scored a kill and Sarah Leggett served an ace to make it 20-20. The Lady Bulldogs scored five straight points from there and half of NSA’s gym was loud as NA took the lead in the match, as a contingent of Bulldog parents and student made the trip for the state playoff game.

Hines served three aces to lead NSA out to a 7-0 lead in the second set. Six straight Lady Bulldog points cut NSA’s lead to 12-9.

Nash, who finished with 25 kills to lead the Lady Saints, spiked down three of them in a four-point span as NSA rebuilt a little cushion midway through the set.

Marina Schaubach hit a kill for a side out for NSA and a 20-16 lead. It took four tries at set points, but Hines set up a Nash spike for a kill and the point to make it a tied match.

NSA led early in the third set before NA fought back, moved in front and was close to retaking control of the match at a 20-18 advantage.

Tori Dail, one of NSA’s main hitters and an all-conference and all-state player through past seasons who’s been out injured through parts of this Lady Saint season, got a key kill to stop NA’s rally and cut the lead to a point.

The set was knotted at 20, 21 and 22. Nash got a kill to put NSA up 23-22. Libero Morgan Daughtry put in a serve leading to a Lady Bulldog error. NA was called for a net violation on a big swing by Nash for the last NSA point.

Led by eight more kills by Nash, NSA finished the match with the key stretch being a 6-0 run to take a 17-11 lead in the fourth set.

NA cut NSA’s margin to two and had chances to get closer. A block by Dail was a side out to make it 19-16 NSA and a Dail spike was another side out for a 20-17 score.

NSA’s blocking didn’t do much against Norfolk Academy’s hitting for most of the match but Nash got a block late in the fourth set and Breanna Barbeau’s block took match point.

Nansemond-Suffolk reached, but lost in, the state quarterfinals each of the last two years.

The Lady Saints (21-8) move on to the final four of the VIS Division I tournament Friday and Saturday at The Steward School in Richmond.