The Volley-Blog!

The Chase Begins...and Ends

Nation Ford Falls Short of Championship Three-Peat

Well, all good things must come to an end, so they say (don't really know who 'they' are, but, whatever). And so it was this week as the state high school volleyball playoffs started and the Falcons began their quest for a 3rd consecutive 5A state championship on Tuesday night. Things started off well in Round 1 as the reigning champs took out Byrnes in The Roost, 3-0. On Thursday they traveled to Anderson to take on TL Hannah in Round 2. NaFo played the Yellow Jackets twice before this season, splitting the matches, so the foes were familiar with each other. This third meeting proved to be TL Hannah's night, beating the Falcons 29-27, 25-17, 25-17. But, chins up, buttercups, for it was another great season for the Falcons program under head coach Carrie Christian, and the future is bright! They will lose only one player from this year's team, senior outside hitter Hannah Neff. Its true that Hannah leaves some mighty big shoes to fill, but in 2021 they have a core group of experienced players, like Taylor Atkinson, Ainsley Marion, Adeline Mezzanotte and Eva Moulds, who will return to lead the Falcons in their senior seasons, plus several younger players who played significant varsity roles this year. The Falcons end 2020 with a 23-3 record, and 117-15-2 over the past three seasons that included back-to-back 5A championships.

Catawba Ridge Continues to Build

In its second season, the Catawba Ridge volleyball team continued its growth. The Copperheads finished the season 10-9-3 overall and 6-2 in region play. They made it into the upper state playoff bracket where they fell in the first round to Eastside Tuesday night, 3-0. Still, an impressive season for a team that didn't have any seniors. Marissa Fakes lead the team with 145 kills followed by Katie Lammers with 93 kills. Nine of the 13 players on this year's roster are juniors, so 2021 shapes up to be a team loaded with experience. I know I look forward to seeing them take the court next Fall!

   

Fort Mill Volleyball Finishes Strong

The Yellow Jackets got off to a rocky start this season, and when they lost their 5th match on Oct 8 to Gaffney, their playoff hopes for 2020 were dashed. But with the pressure off to make the playoff rounds, the team began to play loose and relaxed and didn't lose a single set the rest of the way. After the Gaffney loss, the Jackets went 5-0, beating Rock Hill twice, Catawba Ridge, York and South Pointe, all with straight-set wins. They finished the season 11-5 overall and 8-5 in the region.

 

 

So that's a brief recap of the volleyball seasons. All three teams enjoyed successful seasons with strong foundations and momentum to carry forward into the 2021 club season and Fall campaigns. In the next installment I'll recap the girls' tennis seasons, plus get us up to speed on what's been happening on the football fields this Fall.

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