Lady Flyers Sweep The Storm - Advance to Friday's Region 10 Semi-Final
The Sandhills Community College volleyball team punched its ticket to Hickory with a 25-15, 25-21 and 25-22 Region 10 Tournament quarterfinal victory over Davidson-Davie CC on Tuesday at the Hangar.
The Lady Flyers were led by middle hitter Carley Modlin who was credited with 16 kills and seven total blocks. Setter Camryn Lowe recorded 30 assists. The leader defensively was libero Mariah Daffron with 16 digs.
The No. 4 seeded Lady Flyers (16-4 overall, 7-3 conference) will meet No. 1 Catawba Valley CC (18-2, 10-0) on its home court on Friday at noon in the first of two semi-final matches. No. 2 Cape Fear CC and No. 3 Fayetteville Tech will face off at 2 p.m.
The two winners will play later Friday for the championship and a spot in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament to be held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on April 13-15.
"We told the girls yesterday that you don't want this be your last practice," Flyers' Coach Alicia Riggan said afterward. "I think they really stepped up tonight to show they're not ready to be done. I was really proud of the way they came out and took care of business."
With Lowe distributing the ball all around, and Modlin, Khaile Jones, Christen Clontz, Morrigan Denman and Alexus McCrimmon winning most of their battles at the net, the Flyers were in full control in the first set.
"I feel like we had a really good connection tonight," Modlin said of Lowe. "We've been getting in the gym and getting extra reps so it's paying off for us. Hopefully it pays off on Friday too."
The second set was more competitive with The Storm leading 17-16 before consecutive kills by McCrimmon, Modlin and Clontz turned it the Flyers' way. The two teams were a point or two apart throughout most of the third set. Tied at 21-21, a kill by Denman started a run of four points in a row. A win at the net by McCrimmon completed the sweep and ended The Storm's season at 11-5 overall and 6-3 in the conference.
Riggan liked the energy her team displayed throughout the match.
"Even in the second and third sets when they would fall back, they didn't lose their composure which was exciting to see," she said.
Late in the first set," Modlin, who is signed to play at UNC-Asheville in the fall, left the court after landing awkwardly on her right foot. In addition to injury time allowed by the official, Riggan called a timeout to allow trainer Stefanie Mansfield Turner time to wrap it.
"It hurts, but at that point I just wanted to play," Modlin said, "I want to beat Catawba Valley so badly and I thought, we've got to beat Davidson. Whether it's better or not, I'm playing on Friday."
Ranked No. 6 this week in the Division II poll, Catawba Valley has won 191 conference matches in a row. The Flyers were within two points of extending the match to a tiebreaker set in their 3-1 loss to the Red Hawks on March 6 in Hickory.
"I think the girls are fired up and excited for the challenge," Riggan said. "Everybody's record is 0-0. If you win, you move on."
Flyers Extra - The Lady Flyers' coach praised announcer Jeff Garner, a Sandhills alumni, for the energy he brings to the Hangar. "Jeff makes the game exciting, it pumps you up and the girls feed off it," she said. "No matter what part of your life you are in you still feel connected to Sandhills. For Jeff to give back in this aspect is so huge." In attendance for the match were five high school seniors who have committed to play for the Lady Flyers next season.
C. Bergmann
