The Catawba Ridge Copperheads boys’ volleyball team opened their Region 3-5A schedule with a sweep over Fort Mill Tuesday evening.
Catawba Ridge won 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-17) to improve to 6-3 overall on the season and now 1-0 in region play. Fort Mill fell to 2-5 overall and 0-1 in the region.
Copperheads’ head coach Ross Lisee, coming off a 4A Upper State championship last year, said he feels like the second-year program has just as much possibilities for a great season as last year.
“Potential wise, we have an opportunity to get back to where we left off,” he said. “We have a solid squad. They have experience. We are young. We only have one senior.”
Fort Mill scored the opening point in the first set and the set was close through the first 10 points with the Copperheads holding a small 6-4 lead.
Catawba Ridge started pulling away scoring four of the next six points and then going up 17-9 before a Fort Mill timeout. Fort Mill rallied some to make it respectable, but the Copperheads would take the opening set to establish their pace for the remainder of the match.
Like the first set, Fort Mill scored the opening point. The Copperheads and Jackets remained close through the first six points, but the Catawba Ridge scored five straight points to go up 8-3.
The Copperheads were strong at the net and was able to use their speed and quickness to get the ball past the Fort Mill defenders. Fort Mill was able to keep it close and stay within striking distance. The more pressure the Jackets applied to the Copperheads, the closer they got tying the set at 11. Fort Mill rattled off five straight points to take a 13-11 lead.
The set at that point started see-sawing back and forth between the two teams after Catawba Ridge tied it at 13.
The Copperheads would score four straight points to go up 20-18 before a timeout by the Jackets. Catawba Ridge came out of the timeout scoring five straight points to take the set and go up 2-0.
The Copperheads opened the third set scoring the first two points to make it 11 consecutive between the second and third set.
Fort Mill would again fight to get back in the set and went up 6-4. However, like in previous sets, the Jackets were unable to keep the momentum in their favor as Catawba Ridge rallied to take a 10-7 lead. They would extend that lead to 14-9 before a Fort Mill timeout.
The Copperheads would maintain control out of the timeout as they scored six straight points and never relinquished the lead again as they went in to win the set and get the sweep.
Fort Mill head coach Tamisha Martin said her team is young as well after graduating 10 seniors last year and said things have yet to click for this year’s team.
“We just have new people in important positions,” she said. “It is a bigger adjustment period this year. Eventually everything should click. I think a lot of it is nerves. The nerves are shaking them. The potential is high.”
Catawba Ridge heads to Northwestern Thursday, Sept. 5 for their next match, while Fort Mill will host Clover the same day.
Sept. 3 Roundup
The Catawba Ridge girls’ golf team beat both Nation Ford and Northwestern in a three-way match Tuesday. Catawba Ridge shot a 163 and was led by a 38 from Anjali Peddisetty. Ella Rose Hill followed with a 40 and Jordan Lyons had a 42. Brooke Mehlhouse finished with a 43 for the Copperheads. Nation Ford shot a 199 with Sara McCaskill leading the way with a 43. Katie Griggs finished with a 50 and Hadley Mark had a 52. Drew Ruth finished the scoring for Nation Ford with a 54. Catawba Ridge improved to 6-0 on the season and Nation Ford is now 2-5 on the season.
The Nation Ford girls’ volleyball team beat Northwestern to improve to 7-1 on the season with a 3-0 sweep winning 25-12, 25-12, 25-5. The Nation Ford boys’ volleyball team fell in four sets to Northwestern losing 3-1 and is now 4-3 on the season and 0-1 in Region 3-5A.
The Fort Mill girls’ tennis team swept Catawba Ridge in their season opener winning 6-0. Fort Mill won each of the six matches in straight sets. Winning for Fort Mill was No. 1 Emily Rimmer 6-3, 6-2 over Gracyn Root; No. 2 Reagan Adams 6-3, 6-2 over Gianna Toscano; No. 3 Kendall McCarty 6-3, 6-0 over Katelyn Evans; No. 4 Hannah Swainey over Skylar White 7-5, 7-6 (7-3); and No. 5 Esme Bromham 6-1, 6-1 over Abby Russell. In No. 2 doubles, Fort Mill’s Abhi Nallareddy and Maddie Burcham won 6-1, 6-1 over Meredith Brooks and Kaitlyn Wood.
The Nation Ford girls’ tennis team opened their season with a 6-0 win over the Northwestern Trojans on the road.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
