Pair of local teams sweep openers

From staff reports - From staff reports

The top-seeded Rock Hill volleyball team downed Clover 3-0 on Tuesday in the first round of the Class AAAA Upper State playoffs.

The Bearcats took the first two games convincingly, 25-12 and 25-11, but a gritty Blue Eagles squad took Game 3 down to the wire before falling 26-24.

“We had some breakdowns and Clover served the ball tough and we didn't play defense,” said Rock Hill coach Cindy Elder. “I think we took (our lead) for granted and got a little lazy there, but we've managed to pull it out in close situations all year long... maybe that'll give us a little more edge on Thursday since we had a little more competition there at the end.”

The senior-laden Blue Eagles refused to let the season slip away without a fight.

Trailing 21-17, Clover junior Harley Blizzard served the Blue Eagles into the lead, reeling off seven straight points to help Clover take a 24-21 advantage.

“(The seniors) started to realize this could be their last chance,” first-year Clover coach Sean Cowley said. “We definitely made (Rock Hill) work for everything.”

“We had some ups and downs there early but we really came together as the game went on and we really made them have to put forth the kind of effort needed to beat us. Rock Hill is a great team.”

Rock Hill (14-3), ranked No. 8 in the latest prepcountry.com poll, found itself in a similar position in its regular-season finale a week ago against South Pointe. In that game, the Bearcars were down 2-0 and needed a third-game win to secure their top seed in the playoffs.

This time senior Emily Gantt helped the Bearcats dig out of the hole and claim the 26-24 come-from-behind victory. Junior Karis Watson, an all-state selection, collected two of her eight kills during the winning rally. Fellow junior Christina Vereb led Rock Hill offensively with 12 kills, and senior Gretchen Simon led the way defensively with five digs.

Rock Hill will next face Hillcrest at 6 p.m. on Thursday in the Rock Hill gym. Clover finishes its season 6-11.

Mychal Frost

NATION FORD 3, SPRING VALLEY 0 — In Fort Mill, the Lady Falcons advanced to the second round of the Upper State playoffs with their first-ever postseason win.

The victory improved Nation Ford, ranked fourth in the latest state poll, to 24-3.

The Lady Falcons made the state playoffs last season as a No. 4 seed. They gave top-seeded Rock Hill a scare in the first round, pushing the Bearcats to five games.

This year, Nation Ford won the Region 3-AAAA regular-season title. They will host Boiling Springs on Thursday in the second round.

Spring Valley, the No. 4 seed out of Region 4-AAAA, tested Nation Ford in the first game. The Vikings (16-8) held a 9-8 advantage before the Lady Falcons settled in.

Freshman Caylee Antilley rose up for a big kill to give Nation Ford a 10-9 lead. Her team responded by taking 17 of the next 19 points to win the first game 25-11.

“At that point, we were all just trying to focus on staying disciplined,” said Antilley, one of four Nation Ford all-region performers. “It was a good play for the whole team.”

Nation Ford's Ally Lambert, Sara Bebeau and Sheila Hall also made the all-region team.

The Lady Falcons won the second set over the pesky Vikings, 25-22. Antilley helped her team overcome a 17-14 deficit from the service line. Her serving gave Nation Ford a 19-17 lead.

Lambert, a junior all-state selection, recorded three kills and an ace in the third game. She has a lot of confidence in her team's ability to advance in the playoffs.

“I didn't think we were going to be this good at first, but once the season got going, you could see everything coming together,” Lambert said. “I think we should definitely win state. That has been our goal from the start.”

Lambert knew having coach Carrie Christian take over at Nation Ford would be a positive change. She and Bebeau both played for Christian on their Under-14 club team. Bebeau was named the Region 3-AAAA Player of the Year and made the all-state team.

“If we play the way we are capable, we can beat anyone,” Christian said.

Karl Lyles

Tuesday's other playoff games

FORT MILL 3, RIDGE VIEW 1

Game scores: 25-27, 25-20, 25-21, 25-14

Leading players: Fort Mill — Allison Rogers, Lindsey Piedt, Megan Crimi.

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BLYTHEWOOD 3, NORTHWESTERN 2

Game scores: 25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-13

Leading players: Northwestern — Savannah Jones, Emily Marks, Abby Buckingham, Jillian Clinton

Records: Northwestern 12-15