Fall sports weekly rewind (Oct. 3)

Panthers, Braves set for another showdown?

The Carolina Forest volleyball team won five straight Region VI-AAAA championships from 2009-2013 and shared the league crown a year ago.

That run of at least a share of the region title could be in jeopardy this season.

Socastee – which earned a share of the title with the Panthers a year ago in its first year joining the region – is off to an undefeated start in league play, including a win over Carolina Forest. A year ago, the Braves took the region’s No. 1 playoff seed via a late-season head-to-head win over the Panthers and tiebreaker.

The two could be in a similar situation when they meet at Carolina Forest on Oct. 13.

“It’s probably going to determine first place in the region,” Panthers coach Brittany Drew said. “We’ve been going strong for six years and we know it has to come to an end sometime. But we’re going to fight. This is not one of our strongest years and we know that, but we’re making the best of it and we’re doing pretty good.”

The Braves won the first two games handily in the first meeting before closing out Carolina Forest in four.

Drew admitted her team started slow and by the time it got going it was too late.

“We know what we need to work on,” Drew said. “It’s just (a matter of) if the girls are going to react to it and take it to the next level.”

At this point, that win has Socastee positioned as the front runner. The Braves are 6-0 in region play, while the Panthers are 5-1.

“With the playoffs fast approaching, the girls are starting to play better as a team,” Socastee coach Kristi Garrett said. “As long as we continue to play and practice hard, the wins will come and our goals have a really good chance to come to fruition.”

Carolina Forest may be the only thing that could stand in Socastee’s way.

Having the rematch at home will only help the Panthers in what has quickly become a heated rivalry, Drew said.

“It’s intense. Both teams go pretty hard,” she said. “It’s definitely (amplified) – like last year their coach said it’s like a playoff atmosphere when we play them. We know there’s something on the line.”

Carolina Forest is relying on a new setter this year in Julie McKinney, whom Drew said has excelled since joining the lineup after a year of acting as an understudy.

“She’s done an excellent job,” Drew said. “Not only her setting ability, but she’s helped us defensively. She’s good at being scrappy and picking up balls. That’s really helped us because defense is one thing we’ve struggled with.”

Offensively, experienced players Ellissa Small, Alexis Tomlin and Kenzlie Andresen have provided a solid attack.

“They bring a net game,” Drew said. “You can always count on them to put the ball down when we need a crucial moment.”

The Panthers may need it big time next month. While there’s several matches to play before the rematch with Socastee, it wouldn’t be a shock if all the cards are on the table when they meet again.

Win or lose, Drew believes the rivalry is great for the area.

“We’ve played them in the past, but having a local team join us (is big),” she said. “We’ve had Conway, but to have another beach team to bring in fans is great.”

Socastee girls tennis getting serious

The Socastee girls tennis team isn’t playing around this season.

A big part of the reason is more players are playing year round instead.

The Braves, coming off a season in which they finished second in Region VI-AAAA, are off to a strong start and have ambitions for a deep playoff run.

Junior Christian Case, in her second year on the team, has moved up to the No. 3 singles position, while freshman Nicole Mortel, who saw little playing time a year ago, has risen to the No. 4 singles spot.

The difference maker was the same for both: playing year round.

“I’ve encouraged that,” fourth-year coach Debbie Dempsey-Atkins said. “A few more of our girls worked year round this past year and it really made a difference.

“The team is becoming mentally tough.”

No. 1 Anna Brice Cox, a sophomore, and No. 2 Joy Renfrow, a freshman who played Nos. 3 and 4 a year ago, had already provided Socastee with a solid top of the lineup.

Now, the Braves are benefiting from the emergence of Case, Mortel, German foreign exchange student Charlotte Gaspers and others to bolster a lineup strong from top to bottom.

“It’s really great that we have a solid team all the way down the line,” Dempsey-Atkins said. “We haven’t always had that in the past. It helps to know that if one girl happens to have an off day, hopefully her teammate can pick up the slack and earn a point when she can’t.”

Brice Cox and Renfrow make up Socastee’s No. 1 doubles team, while, eighth-grader Hannah Beam and sophomore Marie Benedetti finish out the lineup as the No. 2 doubles squad.

“Some who didn’t play much last year are now in the main lineup,” Dempsey-Atkins said. “A lot of them have moved up two spots on the ladder. And they’re winning.”

Benedetti had played when she was younger before taking a four-year break. “I was pleased to get her,” Dempsey-Atkins said.

The coach added that Benedetti and Beam quickly developed a chemistry.

“It worked out well that those two girls played very good doubles together,” Dempsey-Atkins said. “So that seemed to work very well for us.”

While the Braves are off to a solid start through the first half Region VI-AAAA play, Dempsey-Atkins knows there’s plenty of work to do in their second year returning to the state’s largest classification.

“I understand that (West Florence) usually wins the region,” she said. “We’re hoping to turn that around this year. We’re hoping to change that. But I’m not going to look that far ahead because – even though we beat Conway and Carolina Forest (earlier) – they’re good teams and we had good matches with them. There’s some really good teams in this region.”

The Braves lost in the second round of playoffs last year, but are hoping for a deep run this year. Dempsey-Atkins believes her team is on the right track.

“What I like about the team that I have – this year’s team – is their work ethic,” she said. “They want to work and they want to win. They’re willing to work for it. I’m just really happy with them.”

Trojans fare well in preview meet

The Green Sea Floyds cross country teams got a bit of a preview of their region foes Tuesday.

If the Region VIII-A meet finishes anything like this one, the Trojans will be thrilled.

Green Sea Floyds’ girls and boys came away with resounding victories over Carvers Bay and Latta.

“I’m really encouraged,” Trojans coach Phyllis Elvington said. “However, I know that both teams have some runners that were not able to participate because of sickness and things like that. You never know what they have in the hat.”

Nonetheless, it was a good start for the Trojans, whom Elvington said will see their region rivals a few more times this season before the league meet at home Oct. 21.

“This kind of gave us a preview of what we need to do,” she said. “We want this to be the same result at region, but this is no guarantee. They could have had two runners out and they could end being their best two, so you’ve got to be on your Ps and Qs.”

This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Fall sports weekly rewind (Oct. 3)."