South Lenoir falls to West Craven in EC2A tiebreaker
South Lenoir’s Michaela Elmore serves during Wednesday’s match against West Craven. Photo by Junious Smith III / Neuse News
By Junious Smith III
West Craven’s strong finish will carry into the playoffs with a home game.
The Eagles defeated South Lenoir 25-21, 30-28, 15-25, 25-20 Wednesday in a tiebreaking match for second place in the Eastern Carolina 2A conference. The Eagles and Blue Devils had identical 9-3 records and split the season series, so the teams played at a neutral site at Lenoir Community College to determine who would get the No. 2 seed for playoff seeding in the NCHSAA 2A bracket.
The game didn't go toward the teams' records, but West Craven extended its winning streak to seven games and is 13-1 since Sept. 17.
“We have a great group of girls who have really gelled together,” Eagles coach Billy Dudding said. “I couldn’t ask for a better team in my first year here and if we continue to play how we’re capable of playing, I think we have the ability to do something magical in the postseason.”
West Craven senior Lexi McCoy got the final point of the game on a kill and said the season has been like none other. Although the Eagles had their third consecutive winning season, it was done under three different coaches and the team’s best record in more than a decade.
“Coach Dudding has been really helpful and I think we’re more confident this year,” McCoy said. “This is the best we’ve done in a while here at West Craven and it’s super exciting to be a part of that.”
South Lenoir coach Lisa Smith said there were some positives to take despite the loss. The Blue Devils will be without Sara Beth Stroud for the remainder of the season after she suffered an injury Tuesday in the season finale, but Smith said the team has the ability to make a run.
“I was proud of the way the girls played without a practice and having the game Tuesday,” Smith said. “There were times where you could tell they were tired, but they fought through it as a team and helped each other out. With a night or two of rest, they’ll be good to go for the playoffs.”
The NCHSAA is scheduled to release the playoff brackets Thursday and the first round is slated for Saturday.
