2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 280
Commending the Giles High School girls' volleyball team.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
WHEREAS, the Giles High School girls' volleyball team won the Virginia High School League Class 1 state championship on November 22, 2025, at the Salem Civic Center; and
WHEREAS, the Giles High School Spartans defeated the Middlesex High School Chargers in three straight sets to bring home the program's first state championship title since 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Giles Spartans' victory was a total team effort, led by Sophie Taylor, the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 1 Player of the Year, who set a VHSL record with 2,498 career kills, and coach Mandy Havens, who was named the VHSL Class 1 Coach of the Year; and
WHEREAS, the Giles Spartans lost only one set throughout their postseason run; in recognition of the team's dominance, the high school sports website MaxPreps named the Giles Spartans the top-ranked program in the nation in its Small Town Top 25 ranking; and
WHEREAS, the Giles Spartans gave back to the community during the season by completing a service project in which they made blankets that were donated to the Sweet Julia Grace Foundation, which will be included among care packages delivered to children in hospitals throughout the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, the accomplishments of the Giles Spartans are the result of the hard work and dedication of the student-athletes, the leadership and guidance of their coaches and teachers, and the unwavering support of their families and the entire Giles High School community; now, therefore, be it