The Morning After: West Bladen Stays Hot, RPI Rankings Are Taking Shape In Volleyball

BLADEN COUNTY, NC — Tuesday night brought plenty of action across the county as volleyball and tennis teams took the courts.

West Bladen continued to build momentum with a convincing sweep in Red Springs and a tennis doubleheader sweep at home, while East Bladen battled through a tough matchup in Elizabethtown with both its varsity and junior varsity squads seeing extended rallies.

With RPI standings beginning to shape the playoff picture, every set and every match is starting to carry extra weight.

West Bladen Volleyball

RED SPRINGS, NC — The West Bladen varsity volleyball team continued its strong start to the season with a dominant sweep over Red Springs, winning in three sets.

The Lady Knights rolled through the opener 25-12, fought off a push in the second for a 25-18 win, and closed out the match emphatically 25-7.

Emmy Bryant contributed in multiple areas with five aces, two digs, and three assists. Greer Pope set the tone with five aces, four kills, and 19 assists. At the net, Kimberly Dowless powered down 10 kills while Makenna Thurman added eight.

Kali Allen performed in with four aces and four kills, and Jaylyn Clark added one ace, two kills, and an assist. Natalie Sykes filled the stat sheet with two kills and 10 assists, while Tahlela Bethea added an ace, a kill, and a block.

Karlee Gause finished with two kills, while Brenna Hester worked the back row and Halaina Conklin contributed in both front and back row rotations.

West Bladen now sits at 9-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.

Their next test comes Thursday on the road at South Columbus, a matchup featuring two of the conference’s top teams.

As of Tuesday, South Columbus and South Brunswick were both unbeaten in league play, but South Brunswick defeated South Columbus in three sets.

South Columbus is currently 2-1 in conference and South Brunswick is 3-0.

In the bigger picture, West Bladen holds the No. 23 spot in the NCHSAA 3A RPI rankings, a key marker for playoff seeding in which 48 teams will make the playoffs in each classification.

East Bladen Volleyball

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC — East Bladen faced a tough challenge at home against East Columbus, dropping the varsity match in straight sets.

The Eagles battled closely in the first two sets, falling 25-20 and 25-22, before East Columbus closed the match with a 25-10 third set.

East Bladen did not have complete varsity statistics available following the match, but the team currently sits at No. 42 in the NCHSAA 2A RPI rankings.

That position would place them in the playoff field if the season ended today, as the top 48 teams in each classification qualify.

East Bladen will travel to Hobbton next Tuesday to continue their conference schedule.

In junior varsity play, the Eagles pushed East Columbus to the limit before dropping a hard-fought 2-1 decision.

East Bladen won the first set 25-22, but East Columbus answered with a 25-19 second set and edged out the final frame 15-12. The loss moves the JV team to 9-3 overall.

The Eagles had several standouts in the match. Bella Beard delivered six aces, two kills, and a dig, while Tenley Dowless led the attack with seven kills.

Julia Flowers provided balance with two aces, four kills, and four digs, and Gracey Edwards added four kills. Addison Douglas anchored the back row with seven digs, while Maylin McMichael contributed three digs.

Avianna Whittington chipped in with a dig, and Harlie Shaw and Chloe Merritt also contributed in rotation play.

West Bladen Tennis

BLADENBORO, NC — The West Bladen tennis team put together a strong showing in a home doubleheader against Red Springs, sweeping both matches. The Lady Knights took the first matchup 6-3 before closing the afternoon with a 7-2 victory in the second.

The two wins gave West Bladen an important boost in the Southeastern Conference standings as the season begins to take shape.

East Bladen Cross Country

East Bladen Cross Country ran at Hobbton High School yesterday for the fourth time.

Boys:

Top 10 at 8th place Andrew [Shelton] Norris: 25:40

Others:

Ernest Washington: 26:08

Miguel Valdez: 34:05

Jeremiah Kilpatrick: 36:08

Girls:

Aliah Jacobs (1st Place): 26:30

Kayelynn Chambers (2nd Place): 26:51

The EB Cross Country will compete again at North Duplin for the last time next Tuesday.

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The Morning After: West Bladen Stays Hot, RPI Rankings Are Taking Shape In Volleyball