Division II volleyball programs set for postseason
Last Saturday, Oct. 3, the Concord Christian Lady Lions took down the Christian Academy of Knoxville Warriors 3-2 (25-15, 18-25, 25-11, 21-25 and 15-11) to propel the Lions on to the region tournament for their fourth consecutive appearance.
“We have continuously been focusing on staying consistent in our play and mentality,” CCS coach Mandy Richards said. “So this was a great opportunity to put what we have been practicing into play. CAK’s crowd was great and brought a ton of energy, but we stayed focused and took care of business.”
Sophomore outside hitter Laney Hochevar came through with several clutch spikes against the Warriors, while senior Manhattan Shuler directed the offense as the setter.
“Laney is a leader on the court, no matter what position she is in,” Richards said. “Manhattan ran a great offense. Everyone does their job very well and we are very solid.
“We have had some young teams for a few years,” she added. “The girls have expressed how much fun they are having this season, linking together with one another and advancing in our season. This has been our motto all season: Link and Advance.”
Clearly the motto is working, as CCS moves on to the next round of the postseason.
Over at Catholic, the Fighting Irish faced off with Baylor Tuesday, Oct. 6, with the top seed hanging in the balance. Unfortunately the match occurred after press time, meaning results are not available.
Regardless, both teams advance on to the Division II Class AA first round, which will take place Tuesday, Oct. 13, according to TSSAA.com. Division II Class A and Class AA quarterfinals are set for Saturday, Oct. 17, unless schools mutually agree to play earlier than the dates indicated above.
Before those matches, though, the Irish did finish off the regular season with a pink-out victory over Webb. In that match, KCHS lost the first set 25-21 then bounced back to win the next three, 25-17, 25-19 and 25-15.
“It was a very unique match for us,” Catholic coach Brent Carter said. “Most of our season we’ve started really strong and faded a bit, and that’s part of it — it’s a long match and if you beat a team really bad one set or two, it’s easy to let up. But it was good to see us play better and that really made a difference. That was really good as a coach to see.
“All in all, we have a very physically small team,” Carter added. “But they’ve continued to mature as a team and train really hard. So the progress has been solid, and the goal is always to peak here at the end. We’re pretty close to putting stuff together consistently, and they trust each other to make adjustments and get things done.”
