Perfect ending! North Central volleyball wins program’s first state championship

The North Central volleyball team etched its name in the record books Saturday.

The Knights completed an unbeaten season and earned the program’s first state championship with a 3-0 win over Ninety-Six in the Class 2A championship at Dreher High School.

The title is just the second championship for a team sport in school history, joining the 1999 North Central softball team.

“It is awesome. To be the first volleyball team at North Central to win a state championship is insane. It is something everyone is going to remember for a very long time,” North Central senior Mary Norwood said.

North Central finished the year 33-0-1, with the lone tie coming against First Presbyterian in a tournament back in September. The Knights dropped just four sets all season, with two coming in the 2A Lower State championship against Philip Simmons on Tuesday.

North Central rallied from 2-1 down against Philip Simmons to clinch a spot in Saturday’s championship.

“I’m excited for them,” said North Central coach Andy Johnson, who just completed his 23rd season. “I have been here before but hadn’t won a state championship.

“I am more excited for them and the hard work they put into it. It is special for our previous players. We have been really close for a long time. To finally get one, it is exciting for them.”

It was the Knights’ third championship appearance and first since 2021. North Central lost to St. Joseph’s in five sets that year. Seniors Addie Bittner and Norwood were on the team and had memories of that defeat.

Bittner, the Coker commit, told her teammates of that moment leading up to Saturday’s title match.

“I kind of told them everything in my little speech about how we felt and how to handle nerves,” Bittner said. “We just talked to them, told them to play their game, do what we need to do and everything will fall our way.

“It is a surreal moment and I am still shaking from it. To go from losing as a freshman to winning this year, I am so glad I got to do it with Mary and the other seniors and we got to go out like this.”

The Knights won the first set 25-19 and used a 6-0 run to win the second set, 25-17.

The third set was the most competitive. Ninety-Six jumped out to a 6-3 lead, its largest of the match.

Mya Elliott had a block and then a kill to put the Knights ahead 12-11. Ninety-Six battled back and tied it 19-19 before Norwood’s kill put North Central back up 20-19.

Norwood, a Columbia International commitment, had two more kills in the set, including the final one to seal the championship.

“Everyone wants to score that last point,” Norwood said. “It was a great pass, great set and I put it down, thankfully.”

River Bluff girls tennis loses thriller to Wando

The River Bluff girls tennis team has been able to overcome a variety of obstacles and challenges this season.

The Gators nearly overcame another one Saturday in the Class 5A Division I championship. River Bluff dropped its first three singles matches only to win the final two and its No. 2 doubles to even up the match.

But Wando’s top two players, Mia El-Kheddini and Calli Casazza, proved too much and defeated the Gators’ Rose Zhu and Lauren Kim, 6-0, 6-1, in No. 1 doubles to help the Warriors to a 4-3 win in the state championship.

It’s Wando’s ninth state championship in program history and first since 2015. It gave Charleston-area schools a clean sweep of the girls tennis titles, joining Lucy Beckham (5A Division II), Bishop England (4A), Oceanside Collegiate (3A) and Academic Magnet (A/2A).

The loss ends the Gators’ season at 22-6. After the match, Gators coach Brad McKinney pulled his players off to the side to console them. Many had tears in their eyes.

“Just to get through all the adversity we had all year, make it through the region undefeated and make it to the upper state and get here,” McKinney said. “I told them to keep their heads up, just what we overcame. A lot of other teams would have been done in. But we are still playing.”

The Gators have no seniors on the roster so McKinney is hopeful for the future of the program, which was going after its third state championship.

River Bluff overcame a 2-0 deficit Tuesday to defeat Spartanburg, 4-2, in the Upper State championship.

Wando’s El-Kheddini, Casazza and Ellie Frank gave the Warriors a 3-0 lead. But Anesu Mazaiwana and Paola Silva won at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, then Emma Gibson and Blythe Hoey won at No. 2 doubles to tie the match and force a deciding match.

AC Flora loses to Bishop England

Bishop England added to its state record in girls tennis by defeating AC Flora, 5-1, to win the Class 4A championship.

It was the Bishops’ 27th state championship, nine more than the nearest team.

BE match winners were Bella Nava, Riley Young, Helena Finley, Elle Finley and the doubles team of Brianna Bird and Audra Schaafsma.

AC Flora’s Emily Smith won the Falcons’ lone match at No. 2 singles.The Falcons were making their seventh championship appearance and first since 2018.

AC Flora finished 25-1 on the season.

“To be back here fighting for the state title was huge,” AC Flora coach Amy Martin said. “We have a few holes to fill next year but we have younger players ready to step up. It was a great ride this season.”