Prep volleyball: Northwestern is ranked No. 1 among Class 3-4A

The Northwestern Trojans are off to an excellent start in the 2022 volleyball season.

The Trojans are 10-4-2 overall and tied for the top spot in Region 3-4A with a 4-0 record to date.

In their four region matches, they have lost only one set.

Hunter Moxley, who is in his third season at the helm of the program, attributes the early success to several factors.

“Our senior leadership has been excellent. In addition this is the best group of players I have ever had in high school,” he said. “We learned a lot from some of our adversity a year ago, and this team comes in every day to work and improve.”

Seniors Kendall Strader and Hayes Nunn are team captains. And there are six other seniors on the roster.

“They all learned last year as juniors how to be good leaders,” he added. “They played in hostile environments, and it has been remarkable to watch them lead our team this year.”

The roster also shows five juniors, two sophomores, and one freshman.

These veteran players have really taught the younger players a lot,” the coach said. “We usually play 10 to 11 players per match. That gives us a lot of game experience which will help as the season moves along.”

The Trojans’ offense is spearheaded by a trio of players. Strader, and seniors Darby Grigg and Sydney Bell have been the big hitters thus far. Strader averages 3.4 kills per set, while Grigg gets 2.9 per set, and Strader has 1.5 per set.

“Those three have done exceptionally well thus far,” Moxley said. “Their play has set the tone for our offense this season.”

Northwestern’s setter is freshman Jayden Mathis. She has recorded more than 200 assists already, and is distributing the ball efficiently.

“She has done really well for such a young player in a key position,” Moxley said. “She is getting better with every practice and match, and she sees the floor so well.”

Defensively, the Trojans are led by another trio of players. Senior Bella Black is the leader on defense, and she gets plenty of help from seniors Leslie Huddleston and Kayleigh Deese.

“Black is the quarterback of the defense,” said Moxley. “We have a complex system of defense so we have to have somebody to set things up, and she does that very well.”

When the Trojans are playing defense, all six players on the court go all out.

“Everyone of them will sacrifice their bodies to make a save,” he added. “They will dive on the floor whenever they have to keep a volley alive. That kind of effort has been impressive, and it has been a key for our success thus far.”

The Northwestern players know that they have gotten where they are through hard work, and they all know the key for continued success.

“We must continue playing to the standard of our culture,” the coach said. “We can not worry about what the other team does on their side of the net. We need to concentrate and stay focused on what we do on our side of the net.”

Moxley knows his team is in a very competitive region.

“We must be ready every time we take the court,” he said. “I am very excited about the challenge we face playing in this very tough region.”

Northwestern’s next contest is on Tuesday when they host the Catawba Ridge Copperheads in a battle for first place in the region. In other Region 3-4A matches the South Pointe Stallions are on the road to play the York Cougars, and the Indian Land Warriors travel to battle the Lancaster Bruins.

In 5A the Fort Mill Yellow Jackets and the Nation Ford Falcons are tied for the top spot in Region 3-5A. The Rock Hill Bearcats are third and the Clover Blue Eagles sit in the fourth spot.

The region schedule continues on Tuesday with three more matches. Fort Mill is at home to play Spring Valley, Rock Hill travels to Nation Ford, and Clover goes to Blythewood.

In 3A the Chester Cyclones have struggled in the first part of the region schedule. They are in last place in Region 4-3A.

The Cyclones continue region play on Tuesday when they are at home to battle Clinton.

In 2A the Buford Yellow Jackets are second in Region 5-2A. The Andrew Jackson Volunteers are tied for third, and the York Prep Patriots are sixth.

All three area 2A teams will be at home on Tuesday. Buford takes on North Central, Andrew Jackson plays Cheraw, and York Prep goes against Pageland Central.

In 1A the Lewisville Lions are playing very well. They are currently tied for the top in the Region 3-1A standings. Great Falls is currently fourth in the region.

Lewisville and Great Falls continue region play on Tuesday when they collide at Lewisville.

Here are the current region standings for The Herald area teams.

Region 3-5A: 1. Fort Mill 2-0/11-5; 1. Nation Ford 2-0/10-7; 3. Rock Hill 1-1/4-11; 4. Clover 0-1/12-4-1; 5. Spring Valley 0-1/4-6-1; 6. Blythewood 0-2/11-7-2.

Region 3-4A: 1. Northwestern 4-0/10-4-2; 1. Catawba Ridge 4-0/10-5; 3. South Pointe 2-2/3-5; 4. York 1-3/5-5; 5. Indian Land 1-3/3-11; 6. Lancaster 0-4/1-6.

Region 4-3A: 1. Union County 2-0/4-8-2; 2. Woodruff 2-1/5-11; 3. Clinton 1-1/7-1; 3. Emerald 1-1/8-4; 5. Chester 0-3/4-8.

Region 5-2A: 1. North Central 5-0/8-0; 2. Buford 4-0/6-1; 3. Chesterfield 3-3/4-5; 3. Andrew Jackson 2-2/3-5: 5. Cheraw 2-3/2-5; 6. York Prep 1-5/2-9; 7. Pageland Central 0-4/1-8.

Region 3-1A: 1. Lewisville 2-0/5-2; 1. McBee 2-0/5-3; 3. Governor’s School 1-1/1-1; 4. Great Falls 1-2/4-5; 5. CA Johnson 0-3/1-8.

This story was originally published September 19, 2022 at 2:21 PM.