The 39th edition of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state volleyball championships is set for Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum on the campus of North Carolina State University.

          Four championships will be held, starting with the 4-A at noon.

           The opener of the quadruple header gets underway at noon with the 4-A championship, featuring Greenville Rose (25-1) against Charlotte Providence (26-2), two schools no stranger to competition at this level. Providence is making its eighth appearance in the championship, led by Southern Meck Conference Player of the Year Becky Porter.

             Rose beat previously unbeaten Raleigh Broughton in the Eastern final and the Rampants are in the state final for the third time, with state championships in 2008 and ’09.

              The 1-A final at 2:30 pm is a battle between the Bulldogs of Princeton (22-4) and the East Surry Cardinals (29-1), both of whom make their first trip to the state championship. Princeton had to knock off Lakewood, a team to whom it had lost three previous times on the year, in a tough five-setter to advance to the final. Kacie Markle, co-Player of the Year in the Northwest Conference, leads the way for East Surry.

               South Granville (28-3) takes on perennial power Hendersonville (26-2) for the 2-A championship starting at 5 pm. Hendersonville is in the finals for the 14th time, with a stellar 11-2 championship record and state crowns in the last two years. Three seniors for the Bearcats have committed to play college.

                South is back in the finals for the second time in three years and is riding a 16-match win streak, including beating Carrboro in the regional final. The Vikings are a team with excellent balance, with four players having over 200 kills each.

                 The 3-A championship at 7:30 pm will send defending 3-A champion Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (26-0) against another perennial power, West Henderson (27-1).

                  Gibbons returns to the championship for an amazing 10th consecutive year (in two different classifications) and is seeking its sixth straight NCHSAA title. The Crusaders returned 12 players from last year’s championship team, including junior Briley Brind’Amour, who paces Gibbons in kills. 

                  West has won an amazing 35 consecutive conference championships and makes its 10th appearance in the finals, with a 5-4 mark in state title matches. Sierra Jones of West Henderson leads all players in the state in assists this season, according to MaxPreps.

                  The Raleigh Sports Consortium, which includes the City of Raleigh, the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance and the Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, serve as host city sponsors for this event. Time Warner Cable will provide television coverage of these championships, including live TV on the TimeWarner SportsChannel.

                

THE SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2014

 

39th ANNUAL NCHSAA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

REYNOLDS COLISEUM, N.C. STATE UNIVERSITY

 

CLASS AAAA—noon

Greenville J.H. Rose High School Rampants (25-1) vs. Charlotte Providence High School Panthers (26-2)

 

CLASS A – 2:30 pm

Princeton High School Bulldogs (22-4) vs. East Surry High School Cardinals (29-1)

 

CLASS AA – 5 pm

South Granville High School Vikings (28-3) vs. Hendersonville High School Bearcats (26-2)

 

CLASS AAA – 7:30 pm

Cardinal Gibbons High School Crusaders (26-0) vs. West Henderson High School Falcons (27-1)