The Morning After: West Bladen Sweeps Union, East Bladen Cross Country Competes

BLADEN COUNTY, NC - The Morning After…and on time today, too.

With a full slate of Wednesday games across Bladen County, we’ve got everything from volleyball sweeps to soccer shutouts and cross country finishes.

If you blinked yesterday, chances are something happened.

Here’s what you missed (or maybe just want to read again over your morning coffee, I’ll probably be having mine by the time you read this).

🏐 West Bladen Varsity Volleyball

BLADENBORO, NC — West Bladen’s varsity volleyball team wrapped up their non-conference slate in dominant fashion Tuesday night, sweeping Union in straight sets: 25-11, 25-17, and 25-9.

With the win, the Lady Knights improved to 6-1 and now turn their attention to conference play with a road test at Whiteville on deck.

It was another strong night for Emmy Bryant, who racked up six aces, five digs, and an assist from the service line and back row.

Kimberly Dowless made her presence felt at the net with four kills and one block, while Makenna Thurman and Jaylyn Clark each added two kills to contribute to a balanced attack.

Kali Allen was a key two-way player once again, notching three aces, three kills, and five digs, showing poise and versatility.

Helaina Conklin added three aces, four kills, and a dig of her own. Tahlela Bethea got into the scoring column with one kill as the Knights rotated players throughout the night.

Greer Pope was the offensive catalyst, dishing out 13 assists, along with three aces and one kill. Natalee Sykes joined her in setting duties, adding three aces and five assists of her own.

On defense, Brenna Hester recorded one dig and was credited with a strong back-row presence, helping secure the clean sweep.

Shana Lewis and Karlee Gause also rotated into the front row, contributing attacks that added pressure, even if they didn’t result in kills.

🏐 West Bladen JV Volleyball

BLADENBORO, NC — West Bladen’s Junior Varsity squad stayed hot with a hard-fought two-set win over Union, improving to 6-1 on the year.

After a convincing 25-9 first-set victory, the second set turned into a thriller, but the JV Knights pulled it out 27-25.

Addi Wilcox set the pace with three aces, two kills, one attack, and a team-high nine assists. Bristol Allen added three aces, one kill, and one attack, keeping the pressure up with her service game.

Berkleigh Guy had a big showing from the line as well, serving six aces, and adding one kill, one attack, and two assists.

Kensleigh Kinlaw was dominant up front, finishing with seven kills, three attacks, one ace, one dig, and nine assists, showing she can contribute on both ends.

Chloe Walters added one kill and two assists, helping fuel the offense. Hadley Dove added two aces to help close out key points in the second set.

Amiya McCarty-Macfield contributed three aces and one kill, continuing her steady impact on the rotation. Vera Valentiner put in three solid attacks that helped keep Union off-balance.

While Maycee Kinlaw, Makenna Bryan, Abigail Dicicco, Abigail Dew, and Hailii Andrews didn’t record traditional stats, they were key parts of a well-synced team that executed under pressure.

⚽️ West Bladen Boys Soccer

BLADENBORO, NC — The West Bladen boys soccer team picked up their first win of the season in style, shutting out Union 3-0 at home Tuesday evening.

The Knights, now 1-3-1, have played competitively all season with their losses coming by a single goal. This time, the margin told a clearer story.

Alejandro Lopez was the star of the night, scoring a hat trick. He opened the scoring just three minutes in off a clean assist from Diego Santos.

Later in the first half, Jason Velasquez delivered the pass that Lopez turned into his second goal.

In the second half, Jonah Bryan found Lopez for the capper, three goals on the night and a full stat sheet.

While the offense was sharp, the defense and goalkeeping may have been even better.

Dylan Hernandez recorded six saves to secure the shutout, organizing a back line that played with cohesion and confidence.

With multiple early-season matches being rescheduled, the Knights haven’t had a full rhythm yet, but they’re showing flashes of what’s to come.

They’ll have a strong test Thursday when they host Pender, a squad that made a deep run to the 2A East Regional semifinals last year and has now moved up to 3A with the Knights in the eight classification split.

🏃‍♀️ East Bladen Cross Country

NEWTON GROVE, NC — East Bladen cross country runners Kayelynn Chambers (left) and Aliah Jacobs (right) returned to Hobbton for the second time this season and once again made their presence known in the top of the leaderboard.

Aliah claimed third place, and Kayelynn took fourth, both finishing the course with an identical time of 28:00 flat. Though Kayelynn crossed the line just after Aliah, the photo finish and shared time highlight how closely matched the teammates are as they push one another each race.

The Lady Eagles now shift focus to their next challenge: a meet at Lakewood on Tuesday at 4:00 PM.

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The Morning After: West Bladen Sweeps Day, East Bladen Cross Country Competes