Myrtle Beach moves on in 4A volleyball playoffs, NMB ousted

A pair of area high school volleyball teams walked into competition Thursday with dreams of a state title.

Only one of them, however, left with its pursuit of glory still intact.

Making the more than two-hour trip to Forest Acres – located just outside of Columbia – Myrtle Beach made quite the state, defeating Region V-4A champion A.C. Flora in straight sets (25-16, 25-16, 25-15), advancing to the Lower State 4A final.

“The girls were just focused on the task at hand,” said Myrtle Beach volleyball coach Larry Church. “Our goal was to serve effectively and keep the ball away from their big outside hitters. We knew we couldn’t stop them, but hoped to neutralize them, and for the most part, our strategy worked.”

The Seahawks head man described the match as a “complete team effort,” greatly impressed with his team’s selflessness – though one player’s contribution stood out most.

“Our setter Danni Hix, most definitely,” he said. “She played great defense, and when needed to distribute the ball, she hit it to the right spots and kept the defense off balance.”

North Myrtle Beach also came into the night with an opportunity to claim a spot in the Lower State 4A final. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, a tough Lugoff-Elgin squad was in their way.

The Demons earned a straight sets victory over North Myrtle Beach (25-18, 25-20, 26-24), earning a date with Myrtle Beach on Tuesday night.

According to North Myrtle Beach volleyball coach Alex Sing, it came down to the fact Lugoff-Elgin played the cleaner game.

“We certainly hoped to bring it home and make it an all-local Lower State final,” he said. “But Lugoff-Elgin plated extremely well, and was real good at controlling the ball and not making errors. We just happened to make a few more errors and allowed momentum to stay on their side of the net.”

Despite the loss, Sing is encouraged by the fact his team accomplished so much, so early in their high school volleyball careers.

“We started four freshmen and two sophomores this year,” he said. “We’re very young, so we have a lot to build upon and look forward to.”

As for Church, he is looking forward to cracking the riddle that is Lugoff-Elgin. Having seen what the Demons are about up close and personally, the Myrtle Beach coach is quite impressed.

“They play solid defense and make you earn every point, possessing the ability to wear teams down,” he said. “But this is the first time we’ll have the opportunity to play Lower States at home, so we’re looking forward to this.”

Opening serve is at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

This story was originally published November 3, 2016 at 10:12 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach moves on in 4A volleyball playoffs, NMB ousted."