RALEIGH – The 38th edition of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state volleyball championships is slated for Saturday at historic Reynolds Coliseum on the North Carolina State University campus.
These finals have a very interesting field of teams, including five who are repeat visitors to the championship match and three making their debut in the NCHSAA volleyball finals.
The opener of the quadruple header gets underway at noon with the 1-A championship, a battle between the Phoenix of Raleigh Charter (21-3) and the Rams of Starmount (26-6). Outside hitter Joanna Powers leads the Phoenix to the title match for the second straight year. Starmount is in the finals for the fifth time, with a 3-1 mark in previous championships, and senior middle blocker Hunter Welborn has over 500 kills this season.
Wheatmore (27-1) takes on perennial power Hendersonville (23-5) for the 2-A championship starting at 2:30. Wheatmore, a relatively new school riding a 19-match winning streak into the championship, is in the finals for the first time in just its fifth trip all-time to postseason play. On the other hand, Hendersonville is in the finals for the 13th time, with a stellar 10-2 championship record after winning the 1-A title last year but moving up in realignment.
The 3-A championship at 5 pm will have defending 3-A champion Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (27-0) against China Grove Jesse Carson (34-0) in the only battle between unbeatens on the weekend. This is a rematch of last year’s championship, which Gibbons won.
Gibbons returns to the championship for an amazing ninth consecutive year (in two different classifications) and is seeking its fifth straight NCHSAA title. Sophomore Briley Brind’Amour paces Gibbons with 10 kills per match while Carson will counter with a tough senior duo in Madison Weast and Hannah Elmore.
The 4-A final at 7:30 pm features Raleigh Wakefield (24-2) against Cornelius W.A. Hough (32-1). Wakefield earned its first trip to the NCHSAA finals by knocking off previously unbeaten Greenville D.H. Conley in the Eastern Regional championship. Hough’s only loss on the season was to Winston-Salem Mount Tabor, but the Huskies avenged that with a victory in the regional finals Tuesday night. Outside hitter Julia Brown and middle hitter Jazmine Lindor have been keys to Hough’s success.
Time Warner Cable will be providing television coverage of all four state championships. The games will air on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (HD 520) on Time Warner Cable systems in the Carolinas. They will later be available on TWC’s Local On Demand. Patrick Kinase and Lyndsay Rowley will call the games for TWC.
The Raleigh Sports Consortium, the City of Raleigh and the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance serve as host city sponsors for this event.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
38TH ANNUAL STATE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIIONSHIPS
Reynolds Coliseum, North Carolina State University
Saturday, November 2, 2013
CLASS A –noon
Raleigh Charter High School Phoenix (21-3) vs. Boonville Starmount High School Rams (26-6)
CLASS AA – 2:30 pm
Trinity Wheatmore High School Warriors (27-1) vs. Hendersonville High School Bearcats (23-5)
CLASS AAA – 5 pm
Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons High School Crusaders (27-0) vs. China Grove Jesse Carson High School Cougars (34-0)
CLASS AAAA—7:30 pm
Raleigh Wakefield High School Wolverines (24-2) vs. Cornelius W.A. Hough Huskies (32-1)
