Staff report

SALISBURY — South Rowan and East Rowan won’t have to watch any film to prepare for the upcoming 3A state volleyball playoffs that open on Tuesday.

South, seeded 18th, will make the short trip to Granite Quarry to take on the 15th-seeded Mustangs in the first round. They didn’t meet in the recent South Piedmont Conference Tournament, but they obviously played twice in the regular season. East won both meetings.

It’s not an impossible matchup for the Raiders, but it’s a challenging one. East (20-9) has a decided height advantage, which provides an edge as far as hitting and blocking. East swept the Raiders (15-9) in August, although the rematch was much tighter, with East surviving a five-set match at home on Oct. 1.

South’s strength lies in consistency and its diggers. The Raiders are really good at keeping the ball off the floor and extending points until an opponent makes a mistake.

Senior Meredith Faw leads the Raiders in kills (198) and aces (62) and is second in digs. Libero Campbell Withers leads in digs. Danica Krieg leads in blocks. South uses a 6-2 system, with Meghan Eagle and Raegan Shell usually splitting the assists. Versatile Laney Beaver’s return from an injury gave the Raiders a boost during the season.

Cameron Ostle (360) and Alli Corl (282) lead the Mustangs in kills. Ella Lowry leads in blocks. Madalynn Tigert leads in aces. Libero Jordan Dry leads in digs and is the key Mustang on serve receive. Setter Jacee Eudy has 727 assists. East got a boost when Leigan Lusk was able to return from an injury that kept her out of the early games. She’s ones of the tall ones, and she’s second on the team in blocks and third in kills.

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NCHSAA seeds and pairings were announced on Sunday.

South Piedmont Conference regular season co-champ and tournament champion Carson is the Rowan school with the best chance to make a long playoff run.

The Cougars are seeded fifth in 3A West and start the playoffs at home against No. 28 Crest (10-18) on Tuesday.

Carson (24-5) combines the best elements of South and East, as the Cougars can really dig it, and they can really hit it.

Carson gets powerful kills from everywhere, but outside hitter Reese Joyner leads the team. Libero Kaylee Thonen leads the team in aces and anchors the defense for coach Kelan Rogers, who is one of the all-time leaders for wins in NCHSAA history.

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West Rowan (10-11) is seeded 25th in 3A and faces a long road trip to No. 8 seed Rockingham County on Tuesday.

Sophomore Lydia Wilson leads the Falcons in kills and digs. Senior Sophia Blackledge is among the team leaders in just about every stat.

Rockingham County (22-3) went undefeated in conference play.

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Salisbury (13-8) is seeded 26th for the 2A playoffs and is on the road to Community School of Davidson, the No. 7 seed, on Tuesday.

Salisbury has a veteran team and is led by senior setter Ashley Yang and senior outside hitter Ava Morris.

Community School of Davidson (21-4) went undefeated in regular-season conference play.

 

Playoffs

First round, Tuesday, Oct. 22

1A West

(17) Gray Stone at (16) NC Leadership Academy

(32) South Davidson at (1) Cherokee

2A West

(26) Salisbury at (7) Community School of Davidson

(24) Anson at (9) West Davidson

3A West

(18) South Rowan at (15) East Rowan

(28) Crest at (5) Carson

(23) South Point at (10) Lake Norman Charter

(25) West Rowan at (8) Rockingham County

Second round, Thursday, Oct. 24

Third round, Saturday, Oct. 26