Can I file a non-suit in a Virginia circuit court without a lawyer?

I hired a lawyer to represent me in a defamation case in a Virginia civil circuit court . He prepared and filed the suit on August 3, 2016. Since you have a year to serve it he decided to wait. Since a year will be up sometime around August 3, 2017 I decided to call him a few days ago and ask him to file a non-suit because it would be in my best interest to do so. He wanted to go ahead and start the suit and wanted $5,000 to begin. He emailed me back after I told him I wanted a non-suit and told me I was on my own and he was closing my case. So I am left with filing the non-suit myself. My question is first can he do this and if the Virginia civil circuit court will allow me to file the non-suit without my lawyer's help? Since they will know I had a lawyer when it was filed will they allow me to file it without him? If I am allowed to file it will they let me obtain another lawyer to take his place in the near future?