Socastee claws past gritty Spring Valley squad to win playoff opener

The Socastee volleyball team’s dominance from the regular season has carried over to the postseason.

Still, the Braves feel they have yet to reach their full potential.

No. 1-seed Socastee shut out No. 4 Spring Valley 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-22) in the first round of the Class AAAA playoffs Thursday, but the Braves still see room for improvement.

“We all played together as a team but we still have some little errors we need to correct,” said Socastee senior Dale Rogers, the 2014 Toast of the Coast Player of the Year. “But I think all-in-all it was a really good win tonight.”

Socastee coach Kristi Garrett said a strong week of practice really helped her team heading into Thursday.

“They were confident in their game, knowing what they had to do in order to win. They were ready” Garrett said of her team’s morale. “It was a good feeling.”

The Braves took the first game, 25-15, but had to scratch and claw their way back into the second game. After Spring Valley took a quick 7-5 advantage in the second game, Garrett gathered her squad for a much-needed timeout. Socastee answered with an 18-5 run after the break, taking the second game, 25-14.

The Braves went on to win the third game by a narrow 25-22 margin to punch a spot in the second round of the playoffs, which begins Tuesday.

“I just brought them in because they were falling apart. They weren’t playing as a group,” said Garrett, whose team improved to 15-2 overall. “They were getting frustrated and you could see what was going on; I just knew it was time to call them in. It all depended on if they wanted the [win] and who wanted it more and that’s basically what I said to them. As you could see, they came out and wanted it more than [Spring Valley].”

Although Spring Valley was a No. 4 seed, Garrett wasn’t about to overlook her first round opponent.

“Nothing is predictable. You have to work for everything,” she said. “We were obviously hoping to come out with a win against a No. 4 seed but it just depends on who is on and who’s off in volleyball. [Spring Valley] gave us a challenge tonight.”

Katelynn Hine had a game-high 44 assists, while Mary D. Guest, Eden Dukes and Dale Rogers combined for 27 kills on 33 attempts. Megan Faris chipped in five kills for Socastee.

Socastee will host No. 3 White Knoll – which went on the road to defeat No. 2 James Island Charter – on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“I hope they’re going to be really ready,” Garrett said of her team. “We’ve got practice the next couple of days and we’re going to push and work on some things we saw in tonight’s game that we can improve.”

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 11:10 PM with the headline "Socastee claws past gritty Spring Valley squad to win playoff opener."