Rock Hill-area volleyball roundup: Nation Ford tradition ‘helps a lot’ in hot start
The Nation Ford Falcons have rebounded after a slow start and are 9-3 overall. They are riding a five-game winning streak as they head to region play this week.
The Falcons are under first-year head coach Craig Brown, who was elevated to the position this season after serving as an assistant coach for several campaigns under Carrie Christian.
Brown was there for the Falcons’ two state titles as well as last year’s run, which ended in the third round of the playoffs. He knows the program, the players and the tradition.
“Tradition helps us a lot,’‘ he said. “Some of the players on this year’s team were part of those two state titles, and the others have grown up watching the success we have had on the court. They know what our program means, and they know that everyone is gunning for us every time we take the court.”
At one point this year, the Falcons were 4-3. They had a pair of wins over Hillcrest as well as victories over Bishop England and Blythewood. They also had two losses to River Bluff and one to Rock Hill.
“We lost some key players from last year, and we had to get the new players involved,” he said. “We had to find the right combinations, get our rotations set and find the right chemistry.”
Since then, the Falcons have won five straight. They started with a win over Cuthbertson and added wins over Catawba Ridge, JL Mann and Byrnes before topping Rock Hill.
“We have changed the lineup a little bit, and we got one of our top players back from an injury,” he added. “We are playing with a lot more confidence right now.”
Brown likes the improvement, he said, and is proud of what they have accomplished thus far. However, he sees the need to keep getting better.
“Our offense has really improved as our setters and hitters are doing much better at connecting. We are 100% better,” he said, “The defense has also gotten better because our serve-receiving has improved tremendously, and we are starting to anticipate where everyone will be on the floor.”
Seniors Eva Moulds, Taylor Atkinson and Ainsley Marion are the team captains, and their leadership has set a great example.
Atkinson leads the team in kills with 102, while senior Adeline Mezzanotte has 82. Freshman Mia Clyburn adds 51, and junior Lael Valdez has 44. Clyburn and Valdez are the top performers in blocks with 19 and 11 respectively.
Junior setter Cecilia Fenbert leads the team in assists with 249. Moulds has 27, while sophomore Ella Scott has recorded 23. Fenbert has 23 aces, and Mezzanotte is next with 18. Atkinson has 17, while sophomore Georgia Sharpless has 14.
Moulds is the team leader in digs with 114, and Atkinson has 80. Fenbert has 72, while Sharpless has 58.
The Falcons’ rotation usually involves eight or nine players.
“We are constantly working to get more players involved,” he said. “More work and time will allow that to happen.”
The Falcons open region play this week, and Brown is looking for a tough battle every time they take the floor.
“This is an extremely tough region from top to bottom. There are no weak links,” he added. “Nothing is going to be easy, and we must be totally prepared every time we take the floor.”
The Falcons start region play on Tuesday night when they travel across town to take on the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets, who are playing very well and have an overall record of 11-3.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE AREA REGIONS
Most of the competition the rest of the way will be in the region. It looks to be very interesting as the teams battle for the playoff spots.
Region 3-5A: Fort Mill is 11-3, and Nation Ford follows with a mark of 9-3. Clover is 3-1, Boiling Springs is 10-6, and Gaffney is 2-3.
Region 4-5A: Rock Hill is 6-3 with Blythewood checking in at 4-4. Spring Valley is 1-4, Northwestern is 1-5, and Ridge View is 0-3.
Region 3-4A: Catawba Ridge is 8-5 (2-0 in region play). Indian Land is 4-4 (1-0), while York is 2-4 (0-2). South Pointe is 1-3 (0-1), and Lancaster is 0-2 (0-0).
Region 4-3A: Keenan is 2-4, while Chester is 1-3. Lower Richland is 0-2, Fairfield Central is 0-3, and Mid-Carolina is 0-5.
Region 4-2A: North Central is 7-0 (3-0 in region play), and Andrew Jackson is 6-4 (3-0). Buford is 4-1 (3-0), while York Prep is 4-1 (2-1). Chesterfield is 1-3 (1-2), Central is 2-4 (0-4), and Cheraw is 0-4 (0-3).
Region 2-1A: Lewisville is 4-0 (0-0 in region play), McBee is 2-1 (1-0), and Governor’s School is 0-2 (0-0). Great Falls is 0-3 (0-1), while CA Johnson is 0-4 (0-0).