Polk County Wolverines Claim 1A State Volleyball Championship in Thrilling Rematch Against Falls Lake Firebirds

Polk County High School and Falls Lake Academy are no stranger to championship matches, even against each other. The 2023 1A State Championship Match was a rematch of the 2018 final. In 2018, Falls Lake defeated Polk County in three sets. Today, the Polk County Wolverines returned the favor, defeating the Falls Lake Firebirds in a three-set thriller. 

From the first point in the first set, the energy from fans in Reynolds Coliseum was through the roof. Junior Jenae Mason from the Firebirds tallied three kills, while Senior Mikala Fisher also led the Wolverines with three kills. Polk County ended up on top securing the first set with a 25-19 win.
 
The second set intensified with big saves from both the Firebirds and Wolverines; diving over the scorer’s table and multiple one-handed dives out of the court. Polk County kept a consistent lead throughout the second set, with junior Morgan Yoder paving the way for the Wolverines to win 25-22 with her four kills. 
 
Polk County’s momentum kept up in the third set, giving them an early 7-3  lead. Firebirds sophomore Maggie Penn had three saves that secured extra points for Falls Lake, leading to a 21-21 tie game before Polk County pulled away 25-22.
 
Falls Lake Academy finished the season with a 26-3 record. The East Region Champions had a record of 10-0 in the Super Six 1A/2A conference. 
 
Polk County High School finished the season with a 27-3 record. The West Region Champions had a record of 10-3 in the Mountain Foothills 7 1A/2A conference. 
 
The NCHSAA is committed to recognizing outstanding sportsmanship in each of our State Championship events. The Association has partnered with the North Carolina Farm Bureau to award a pair of Sportsmanship Awards at each championship event, recognizing players who have demonstrated the ideals of outstanding character and sportsmanship throughout the 2023 season. The winners of the 1A Volleyball NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards are Junior Kylie Lewis from Polk County High School and Junior Kelcey Peterson from Falls Lake Academy.
 
The NCHSAA is proud to partner with Wells Fargo to present the Most Valued Player award in the 1A State Championship match to Junior Sophia Overholt from Polk County High School.
 
In a post-game interview, Fall Lake’s Head Coach Corinna Sammons said that the team was nervous heading into the match 
 
“They weren’t in control of the match and couldn’t run the show,” she said. “We only have one graduating senior, so our team is young. We will be back and hungry for more.” 
 
Anna Holcombe, the lone senior for the Firebirds, was coming back from an ankle injury. Her teammate, Maggie Penn, noted that “she wasn’t able to play in any of the playoff games. It was incredible for her to go out and play like she did.” 
 
Polk County’s Head Coach Molly Hill described the match as a goal the team has been working towards for years. 
 
“We knew this was going to be a good potential year for us,” Hill said. “Coming into today, we battled for every point, every game.” In describing the meaningful moment to win the State Title, senior Ada Kelley stated it was like “a surreal moment to finish on top. This team is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of.”

Brevard Dominates to Secure First-Ever Volleyball State Title

Brevard High School secured its first-ever state title in the 2A Championship Match with a comfortable 3-0 win against Camden County High School. Senior Carlyn Tania from Camden had eight combined blocks and kills throughout the match, while Senior Ella Scott from Brevard came out with four kills and three blocks. 
 
Utilizing their strengths of consistent serves and strong saves, the Bruins were able to secure leads in the beginning of each set. With height on their side, the Blue Devils towered over the Camden Bruins with a match total of 21 kills and 10 blocks. 
 
Entering into the 2A Championship Match, both schools were seeking their first NCHSAA Volleyball Championship. The Blue Devils made their debut in the Championship Match this year and the Camden Bruins made third appearance in three years after falling to Southwestern Randolph in 2021 and McMichael in 2022.
 
Camden ended the season with a 21-3 record. The East Region Champions had a record of 14-0 in the Northeastern Coastal 2A/3A conference. 
 
Brevard High School finished the season with a 31-2 record. The West Region Champions had a record of 13-0 in the Mountain Foothills 7 1A/2A conference.
 
The NCHSAA is committed to recognizing outstanding sportsmanship in each of our State Championship events. The Association has partnered with the North Carolina Farm Bureau to award a pair of Sportsmanship Awards at each championship event, recognizing players who have demonstrated the ideals of outstanding character and sportsmanship throughout the 2023 season. The winners of the 2A Volleyball NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards are Senior Carlyn Tanis from Camden County High School and Ella Scott from Brevard High School.
 
The NCHSAA is proud to partner with Wells Fargo to present the Most Valued Player award in the 2A State Championship match to Senior Meleah Foster from Brevard High School.
 
In a post-game interview, the Bruins’ Head Coach Ashley Miller noted that the match was “not the outing [the girls] were hoping for, but Brevard showed up today. It’s crazy to come here three years in a row, there has been so much support from our local community.”
 
Blue Devils’ Head Coach Cori Bryson said that playing the Bruins was “a turning point in [their] season” and was one of the team’s only losses. When asked what the improvements were from last season to this season, Senior Ella Scott added that the “biggest difference was team morale. No one put anyone else down and we had to strive to build each other up.” 

5-Set Showdown: King’s Mountain Triumphs over Orange for 3A Volleyball State Title

Thrilling is an understatement to describe the five-set Championship Match between the Kings Mountain Mountaineers and the Orange Panthers. Consistent bump, set, hit ratios along with wall-like defense, led to Kings Mountain securing its third state title in a 3-2 nail-biter.  

The first set started out evenly, but King’s Mountain quickly set themselves apart, dominating with a comfortable 25-12 win in the first set. Orange responded in the second set as sophomore Aubrey Jordan led with five kills, and sophomore Kate Silcott added three aces and a block. Kings Mountain met Orange’s energy with equal effort. Swapping serves almost every point, the Panthers came back to tie it up 1-1 with a 26-24 win

The Panthers kept their momentum in the third, each team staying within three points of one another. Again, the Panthers came out on top to secure the 25-20 win. The Mountaineers met the Orange with high intensity in the fourth set and senior Meile Songaila tallied six kills as the Mountaineers came up with a 25-21 win. 

In both teams’ first-ever fifth set in a Championship Match, Senior Sadye Porter had one ace and three saves for the Panthers while Songaila had four kills and a block. The Mountaineers were able to hold off the Panthers to secure their third state title with a fifth-set score of 15-12.

Orange High School finished the season with a 27-4 record. The East Region Champions had a record of 12-1 in the Central 3A conference. Orange made its second appearance in the finals this year as it was runner-up in their first trip in 2004.

Kings Mountain High School finished the season with a 33-1 record. The West Region Champions had a record of 14-0 in the Big South 3A conference. Kings Mountain is now 3-0 in finals, having won the state title in 1998, 2001 and 2023. 

The NCHSAA is committed to recognizing outstanding sportsmanship in each of our State Championship events. The Association has partnered with the North Carolina Farm Bureau to award a pair of Sportsmanship Awards at each championship event, recognizing players who have demonstrated the ideals of outstanding character and sportsmanship throughout the 2023 season. The winners of the 3A Volleyball NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards are Senior Mary Grace Hogue from King’s Mountain High School and Ella Wimsatt from Orange High School.

The NCHSAA is proud to partner with Wells Fargo to present the Most Valued Player award in the 3A State Championship match to Meile Songaila from Kings Mountain. 

In a post-game interview, the Panthers’ Head Coach Hope Heverly said “[You] would never know how sophomore-heavy this team is, we are looking towards a bright future for Orange High School Volleyball.” Senior Sadye Porter added that “it’s an unreal feeling to play in the state championships and I feel very grateful to be a part of this team.”

Mountaineers’ Head Coach Heather Pasour said, “I’m super proud of the girls, I don’t feel like they lost momentum and gave up at any point today.” 

Songaila added what this State win meant to her and the program. 

“We went into the gym every day seeing the Mountaineer’ win States 20 years ago. I want kids 20 years from now to look back on us and feel inspired to work hard to achieve their own State Title.”

Middle Creek Mustangs Clinch 4A State Championship Title in Victory over Cox Mill Chargers 

In Middle Creek’s first-ever appearance in the 4A State Championship Match, they dominated in a 3-0 win over Cox Mill through their strong, wall-like defense matched equally with an intense offense. 
 
Starting out strong in the first set, the Mustangs won 25-15. the Chargers responded in the second set with power that Middle Creek struggled to defend. After several rallies, the second set took a pause with a timeout from Cox Mill with a 9-9 tie score. Middle Creek grouped their defense together to show up for a final score of 25-16. 
 
Freshman libero Graceyn Shepard was key in this second set win with eight digs. Consistency and momentum was on the Mustangs’ side as they finished the night with a thrilling 25-17 win. Senior Avery Scoggins had five key blocks in the last set. 
 
Junior Ryan Hunter from Cox Mill had 10 kills and 2 blocks and senior Kyndall Ross had eight kills and eight blocks while senior Avery Booker from Middle Creek tallied 11 kills.
 
Middle Creek High School finished the season with a 25-1 record. The East Region Champions had a record of 13-1 in the Southwest Wake 4A Conference. Middle Creek secured the State Title in their first-ever appearance in the 4A State Championship Match.
 
Cox Mill finished the season with a 24-3 record. The West Region Champions had a record of 12-0 in the Greater Metro 4A conference. In their prior Championship Match performances, Cox Mill won the State Title in 2016 and finished runner-up in the 2020-21 Covid-19 season. 
 
The NCHSAA is committed to recognizing outstanding sportsmanship in each of our State Championship events. The Association has partnered with the North Carolina Farm Bureau to award a pair of Sportsmanship Awards at each championship event, recognizing players who have demonstrated the ideals of outstanding character and sportsmanship throughout the 2023 season. The winners of the 4A Volleyball NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards are Senior Avery Booker from Middle Creek High School and Junior Ryan Hunter from Cox Mill High School.
 
The NCHSAA is proud to partner with Wells Fargo to present the Most Valued Player award in the 1A State Championship match to Senior Avery Scoggins from Middle Creek High School.
Interviews:
 
In a post-game interview, Cox Mill’s Head Coach Ralph Viegelmann reflected on the Chargers’ gameplay.
 
“It was a rollercoaster of a season for this team and they had to go through structural changes,” he said. “I tried to let them play their game as much as they could, and then I’d come in and steer the ship a little. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to tonight.” 
 
Middle Creek’s Head Coach Jodi Scoggins noted that the team “came out with so much fire and we knew if we stuck together and held each other accountable as a team we could finish with the win.” 
 
Senior Avery Booker noted that Middle Creek’s administrative and community support of the volleyball program has been helpful in the team’s success. 
 
“It’s the best thing ever when you know someone’s always going to be cheering for you,” Booker said. “It helps us push through the tough times. There were away games where the teams we played had a larger student section, but we definitely had the louder student section. 
 
“We had one goal in mind… we were going to go out and win it for each other. It wasn’t about myself, it was about the people next to me.”
 
Summing up her time at Middle Creek, Senior Josie Zynczak ended the night saying, “I’m so proud to be leaving Middle Creek and being able to say that I played volleyball here.”