NCHSAA 1-A VOLLEYBALL

ALLEGHANY OUTLASTS DEFENDING CHAMP PRINCETON  IN NCHSAA 1-A VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

            RALEIGH— Senior middle hitter Jade Shepherd helped lead Alleghany to a four-set victory over defending champion Princeton on Saturday in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 1-A volleyball championship at the Raleigh Convention Center.

            Alleghany jumped in front quickly, winning the first two sets by 25-20 and 25-21.  Then Princeton got off to a quick start in the third set, going up 6-1 and holding on to take a 25-19 victory. The fourth set stayed close, with Princeton leading for a while until an Alleghany spurt gave the Lady Trojans an 18-14 lead and they went on to a 25-20 triumph.

            Shepherd had 11 kills and only one error for the victorious Trojans and was named the championship Most Valuable Player.  Jenna Eisner also had 11 kills for the winner and Mookie Miller had 15 digs.

            Daisy Eklund paced Princeton with 21 kills and 10 digs and Taylor Carroll was credited with 11 kills.

            Princeton was the defending champion, although there was a Cinderella feel last year as the Bulldogs won it by getting hot at the right time last year as the 10th seed in the Eastern half of the draw. This year the Bulldogs were the third seed in the East and finished 27-2 overall.

            Alleghany, in its first trip to the NCHSAAA volleyball championship, wound up 26-1 and ended the season with a 25-match winning streak. 

NCHSAA 2-A VOLLEYBALL

FIFTH SET GOES TO  SOUTH GRANVILLE TO WIN NCHSAA 2-A VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

            RALEIGH— It went down to the fifth and decisive set in the final match of the night, and South Granville outlasted Wheatmore to win the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 2-A volleyball championship at the Raleigh Convention Center on Saturday night.

            Wheatmore had jumped in front with a 25-20 victory in the first set, but South Granville evened it up with a 25-20 victory.  South added a 25-19 victory in set three, although the Vikings had a sizable lead before Wheatmore made a run, and then Wheatmore evened it with a 25-21 triumph but after an eight-point lead had evaporated.

            In the fifth set, it was back and forth. South held a 10-8 advantage when Wheatmore called timeout, and then the Warriors came back to tie. But several dramatic kills gave South a 14-11 lead and the Vikings held on to win, 15-12.

            Megan Fuhr of South Granville had 20 kills and 17 digs and was named the championship Most Valuable Player.  Outside hitter Jenna Pitzer added 17 kills for the winners and Cydney Scott had several key plays among her 20 digs.  Macy Eidenburger led Wheatmore with 21 kills and 15 digs.

            South Granville ended the season with a 26-match winning streak and the Vikings finished the year at 29-3 overall. South was in the finals for the third time in the last four years, with runner-up finishes in 2012 and ’14.

            Wheatmore, a relatively new school in just its seventh year, made its second trip to the finals after falling to Hendersonville in the 2013 2-A final. The Warriors wound up 25-2.

 

NCHSAA 3-A VOLLEYBALL

SOUTH IREDELL ROLLS TO VICTORY IN NCHSAA 3-A VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

            RALEIGH—  Senior outside hitter Julia Scoles led South Iredell to a convincing 3-0 sweep past Asheboro in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 3-A volleyball championship on Saturday at the Raleigh Convention Center on Saturday.

            The Vikings, in the NCHSAA state volleyball championships for the first time, won by 25-14, 25-11 and 25-9.  

            The 6-1 Scoles, who will continue her volleyball career at the University of North Carolina, was a unanimous choice for the Most Valuable Player award, with 23 kills in 32 attempts and no errors.

            Madison Peters added 11 kills for the winners while Taylor Berg came up with 19 digs.

            Jasmine Gaines paced Asheboro with eight kills and Emily Skoglund had 14 digs for the Blue Comets.

            South Iredell finished the season 27-1 while Asheboro, in its fourth trip to the championships but its first since 1995, wound up 25-4.

 

NCHSAA 4-A VOLLEYBALL

GIBBONS DOWNS NORTHWEST GUILFORD FOR NCHSAA 4-A VOLLEYBALL TITLE

            RALEIGH— Cardinal Gibbons kept a long state title streak intact on Saturday afternoon in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A volleyball championship at the Raleigh Convention Center.

           Gibbons swept past Northwest Guilford for the title in three straight sets by 25-18, 25-15 and 25-17. The Crusaders became the first NCHSAA team to win seven volleyball championships in a row, now across three classifications in this, their first year in the 4-A class.

           Gibbons also sports a 49-1 mark in postseason volleyball play in the last 10 years and finished with a 20-3 overall record this season.

             Senior outside hitter Briley Brind’Amour of Gibbons had 13 kills and Emma Longley added 11. But Crusader senior libero Mia Fradenburg, with a great all-around game, was chosen as the championship Most Valuable Player with 17 digs.

             Northwest Guilford, in its first visit to the state championship match although it has won 16 consecutive conference championships, ended the season with a 27-4 record. Kaitlyn Grube led the Viking attack with nine kills.

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NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

40TH ANNUAL STATE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Raleigh Convention Center

 

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

CLASS AAA CHAMPIONSHIP

South Iredell 3, Asheboro 0 (25-14, 25-11. 25-9)

 

CLASS AAAA CHAMPIONSHIP

Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons 3, Northwest Guilford (25-14,25-11,25-9)

 

CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP

Alleghany 3, Princeton 1 (25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 25-20)

 

CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP

South Granville 3, Wheatmore 2 (20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 15-12)