Blacksburg opened its volleyball season by finishing second in the James River Invitational held Saturday in Buchanan.

In the championship game, the Bruins came up short to Northside 28-26 and 25-19.

Blacksburg advanced to the title game by beating Covington in two, while the Vikings topped topped James River 14-25, 25-21 and 15-11.

"We definitely had the toughest schedule with having to play four pool games back to back before going into the championship bracket," said Blacksburg head coach Lezlie Logan, who started her first season at the helm.

Coach Logan further added, "The girls played extremely well. They overcame fatigue, emotions and injury after losing senior, Uwem Etuk to an out-of-socket shoulder. They've improved tremendously just from last weekend's scrimmage match against Bath County. Sophomores Aubrey Kessner and Catherine Boyle had a phenomenal day."