Lady Flyers Fall to Fayetteville Tech in Regular Season Finale
The third seed in next week's Region 10 tournament was at stake when the Sandhills Community College volleyball team entertained Fayetteville Tech on Friday evening at the Hangar.
The Lady Flyers were defeated 25-21, 25-22 and 25-14, falling to 15-4 overall and 7-3 in the conference. The Trojans improved to 7-2 in the conference and overall.
Coach Alicia Riggan's squad will host one of next week's quarterfinal matches as the fourth seed on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against a Davidson-Davie CC team that is 6-3 in the conference and 11-4 overall. The winner will advance to play No. 1 seeded Catawba Valley CC on its home court in a semi-final match on Friday.
Prior to taking on the Trojans, Christen Clontz, Morrigan Denman, Khaile Jones, Camryn Lowe, Alexus McCrimmon, Carley Modlin and Mya Sencenbaugh were honored on Sophomore Night.
A fiercely fought opening set was tied for the 12th time at 20-20 before the visitors scored five of the next six points to take the 1-0 lead. Trailing 21-16 in the second set, kills by Jones, Clontz and McCrimmon helped close the gap to 21-20 before the Trojans hung on to make it 2-0.
The visitors pulled away early in the third to close out the match. Denman led the Flyers with eight kills. Lowe was credited with 23 assists and freshman Mariah Daffron was the leaders in digs with nine.
"At the beginning our energy was there and we jumped on them," Riggan said afterward. "They called a time out and started putting up some blocks. They were swinging not to lose and we were swinging not to make a mistake.
"We're playing for third place and get swept by a team with the same record as ours. It was very disappointing and not what we wanted to do on Sophomore Night,"
The occasion attracted the largest turnout of family members permitted by COVID protocols of the season. Afterward, McCrimmon, a North Moore High School graduate, who plans to pursue a degree in Recreational Therapy at Winston Salem State in the fall, spoke about some of the things she has gained from her experience at Sandhills.
"I learned not just with volleyball, but in life in general, to always push yourself to the limit and not give up on yourself," she said.
On hand to support McCrimmon were her parents Nelson and Gwen, and brothers Antoine and Malik. Malik was a member of the Flyers' basketball team (2016-2018) and went on to play for a year at Western Carolina. He is due to graduate and plans to pursue a master's degree.
Nelson McCrimmon was a high school teammate of Sandhills Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach Mike Apple.
"We really do like the school," he said. "I think Alexus learned a lot about discipline and what she wants to do in life. Alexus and Malik have really made us proud."
With Friday's loss, the path to winning the Region 10 tournament and earning a spot at the NJCAA Division II Championship on April 13-15 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa becomes a little more challenging.
"We have to refocus this weekend and get lots of rest," Alexus McCrimmon said. "And then come out with our heads right and take care of business on Tuesday and next weekend."
In a match between undefeated teams in Hanceville, AL on Friday, Division I Wallace State (23-0) defeated Catawba Valley CC (16-1), the No. 1 ranked team in Division II, 3-0.
C. Bergmann
