If you’re talking volleyball, the key news is about region alignments. What to know
The 2022 volleyball season is underway as area teams play in scrimmages, tournaments, and non-region matches in anticipation of region play.
In 5A all of the local teams are in the same region this season.
Last year they were split with Rock Hill and Northwestern in Region 4-5A and Fort Mill, Nation Ford, and Clover in Region 3-5A.
Northwestern dropped down to 4A this year, and the remaining four area teams joined Blythewood and Spring Valley to form Region 3-5A.
Nation Ford head coach Craig Brown says the new region will be tough.
“It will be a solid region,” he said. “With the remaining teams and the new teams added by realignment, there will be no easy matches.”
That will work as an advantage for every team in the new region.
“Playing that caliber competition gets you ready for the postseason,” he said. “The tough region battles will get all of us ready mentally and physically for postseason play, especially in the later rounds.”
All four of this year’s area 5A teams made the postseason last year.
Nation Ford won Region 3-5A a year ago at 7-1. Clover and Fort Mill tied for second at 5-3. All three made the playoffs.
Nation Ford lost in the second round and finished 22-11. Clover also lost in the second round and wound up 12-8. Fort Mill was eliminated in the second round and was 18-8 overall.
Rock Hill tied for first place in Region 4-5A at 7-1, while Northwestern was fourth at 3-5. Rock Hill was knocked out in the first round and finished 21-10. Northwestern was also eliminated in the opening round and was 6-11.
In the 4A ranks all six of the area teams are in the same region this fall. Catawba Ridge, South Pointe, Indian Land, Lancaster, and York remained in the region. They are joined by Northwestern.
“This is probably the toughest 4A region in the state from top to bottom,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Alicia Lisee. “However, playing that type of competition gets you ready for the postseason.”
Lisee, who has built the Catawba Ridge program from scratch to a 4A power in three years, also says volleyball in the area is getting better every year.
“More and more girls are playing year round,” she said. “That makes for a more experienced and well-rounded team.”
Catawba Ridge won the region crown last year at 8-0. South Pointe was second (6-2), with Indian Land third (4-4). York was fourth (2-6), and Lancaster finished fifth (0-8).
Three teams made the postseason. Catawba Ridge made it to the fourth round before losing and ended up 23-9 overall. South Pointe was eliminated in the second round and finished 8-7 overall. Indian Land got knocked out in the opening round and finished 7-9.
The Chester Cyclones are the only area team in the 3A ranks. Realignment put them with four new teams. They are Emerald, Clinton, Union County, and Woodruff.
Last year the Cyclones were 2-6 in Region 4-3A. That gave them a fourth place finish in the region and a trip to the playoffs. They lost in the opening round and ended at 4-11.
In 2A Andrew Jackson, Buford, and York Prep are all prepping for another playoff run. Andrew Jackson was 10-2 in region play and finished second. Buford was 7-5 and came home third. York Prep finished fifth in region with a mark of 4-8.
Andrew Jackson got a pair of postseason wins before losing. They finished 15-7. Buford earned a trio of playoff wins before being eliminated with an overall record of 12-6. York Prep got two wins in the playoffs before being knocked out. Their final mark was 9-12.
Having five teams from the region in the playoffs last year shows the strength of the region.
“This region has always been strong,” said Andrew Jackson head coach Hanna Kirkley. “I look for it to be even more competitive this year.”
She credits the strength in the region to several things.
“We have some excellent athletes in this region as well as some quality coaches,” she added. “We all play very tough non-region schedules.”
In 1A Lewisville and Great Falls are part of Region 3-1A this season. CA Johnson, McBee, Governor’s School, Riverwalk and Midlands STEM are the other teams in the region.
Lewisville claimed the region crown a year ago with a perfect 8-0 mark. They earned a first round bye, but dropped their second round match. They completed the year at 13-3. Great Falls restarted its program last year and finished fourth in the region with a record of 2-6. They made the playoffs, but lost in the first round and finished 4-10.
“The region will be a battle again this year,” said Lewisville head coach Josh Renaud. “Every team in the region will be better this fall.”
The reason for that overall improvement is simple.
“All of us schedule matches against higher classification teams,” he said. “We do not win all of them, but it really helps us get better overall, and it prepares us for the playoffs.”
Legion Collegiate, which is playing as an independent before joining the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association next season, is looking to improve on its 19-14 mark from last year.
Three new coaches are on the sidelines of the 17 area schools this fall.
Ashley Williams takes over for the legendary Cindy Elder at Rock Hill. Makala McCrorey takes the reins at Fort Mill after getting the Great Falls’ program restarted with great success last fall. Dylan Kaiser replaces McCrorey at Great Falls.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 12:30 PM.