By Thomas Grant Jr.
River Bluff and Gray Collegiate volleyball reached the third round of the S.C. High School League playoffs on Monday.
Both teams took straight set wins in their respective classifications.
The Lady Gators defeated West Ashley 25-20, 25-20 and 25-21 in the Class 5A Division I bracket. They played host to James Island Wednesday in The Swamp. It was their 30th victory of the season.
A few miles away, the top-seeded Lady War Eagles faced Gilbert for the third time this season. Gray Collegiate swept the season series in 4 sets at home and a 5-setter on the road.
The third meeting was a hard-fought affair. This time, the Lady War Eagles won in three sets by the scores of 25-10, 25-21, 25-20 to advance in the Class 4A playoffs.
“I think the difference for us is we had homecourt advantage,” Gray Collegiate head coach Shonda Wallace said. “We always really play really well at home (10-0 this season). Our fans did a really good job in showing up and supporting. We feed off their energy and I think we were a little bit more prepared this time.”
“We saw them twice in region play. It’s hard to beat a team three times. But I told our girls to make sure that they were locked in from start to finish and I think that was the difference-maker for us. They were a little bit more dialed in. They were more prepared and we fed off the energy of our fans.”
Gray Collegiate (21-4) played host Wednesday to May River, which defeated South Aiken in three sets. The Lady Thoroughbreds handed the Lady War Eagles their lone loss in Region 4-4A in five sets on Oct. 9.
TENNIS
Gray Collegiate and Gilbert also met in the second round Tuesday of the Class 4A tennis playoffs.
The Lady War Eagles defeated Beaufort 6-0, while the Lady Indians ended Brookland-Cayce’s season by a 4-2 score.
Feature photo of River Bluff volleyball team from GoFlashwin.com
