Staff Report
MaxPreps.com
RALEIGH, N.C. – Pammy Craigle was named the Most Valuable Player as she led Greenville Rose to a sweep of Winston-Salem Mount Tabor and the 2008 North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-A volleyball championship at Reynolds Coliseum Saturday night.
Rose won three straight by scores of 25-12, 25-22 and 25-19.
North Iredell (Class 3-A), West Henderson (2-A) and Swain County (1-A) also won NCHSAA volleyball titles on Saturday at North Carolina State.
Craigle, a 5-foot-10 junior setter, had 31 assists and seven digs as Rose ran its record to 27-1. Junior Emily Neideffer and sophomore Caroline Douglas had 10 kills apiece for the victorious Rampants, who won their first NCHSAA volleyball crown in making their second finals appearance in the last five years.
Mount Tabor lost for the first time in 29 starts in 2008. Middle hitter Andrea Beck had 10 kills for the Winston-Salem school while Katie Brown had nine kills and 13 digs.
North Iredell Rolls Past Greenville D.H. Conley in AAA Final
North Iredell, led by the all-around play of senior outside hitter Molly Rhyne, rolled past Greenville D.H. Conley in three straight games to win the NCHSAA 3-A volleyball championship.
North ran its record to 26-0 with victories of 25-18, 25-22 and 25-17. The Raiders did not lose a single set during the season.
Rhyne had eight kills, 10 digs and two blocks to pace North Iredell to its first NCHSAA volleyball championship in its initial appearance in the state finals. Sophomore outside hitter Hayley Rhyne added eight kills for the winners while Taylor Hardee contributed 25 digs.
Defending state champ Conley, appearing in its eight state final, finished the season with a 25-3 mark; it had won two previous titles. Kaitlyn Anderson had 11 kills and Brandi Tanner nine for Conley.
West Henderson Downs Cardinal Gibbons in 2-A Final
West Henderson’s Erica Cantrell helped her Lady Falcons outlast Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons in a dramatic NCHSAA 2-A volleyball championship match.
Gibbons won the opener 25-16, and then West won the next two by 28-26 and 25-21. Gibbons evened the match by capturing the fourth game, 25-19, but West Henderson grabbed the clincher in the best of five, 15-10.
Cantrell was named the Most Valuable Player of the final with a stellar performance, one that included 13 kills, 12 digs and five blocks. Meredith Foster also had 12 blocks for the winners while Kremer had 12 kills.
Michelle Fadool led Cardinal Gibbons with 17 kills and Avery Striebel, coming off an injury, contributed 16 kills. Cayla Shortley had 36 digs for the Crusaders.
Both teams entered the final undefeated; Gibbons was the three-time defending 2-A champion, with a winning streak of 70 matches against North Carolina opposition.
West Henderson, coached by veteran Jan Stanley, the state’s all-time winningest volleyball coach, finished the season 26-0. It was the Falcons’ fifth state title in eight championship appearances. West Henderson avenged losses to Cardinal Gibbons in both the 2005 and 2006 finals.
Gibbons finished with a 29-1 mark.
Crawley Leads Swain County Sweep of Pender in Class A
Senior Cayla Crawley had an outstanding performance to lead Swain County to a dominating win over Pender in the NCHSAA 1-A volleyball final.
Crawley was named the match’s Most Valuable Player as the Lady Maroon Devils won by scores of 25-14, 25-19 and 25-17.
Crawley amassed 17 kills with only three hitting errors, and also had four blocks and nine digs as Swain won its 17th consecutive match and finished with a 30-1 mark. It was Swain’s first NCHSAA volleyball championship.
Lauren Maennle had 13 kills for the winners while Alisha Lambert had 13 digs and four blocks.
Pender’s Jenna Baranowski had five kills and eight digs while Haley Lanier was credited with five kills and six digs. Pender ended the season with a 22-4 mark.
It was the Patriots’ fourth visit to the finals, along with appearances in 1986, 2003 and 2006, but Pender is still looking for its first state title in the sport.
The Raleigh Sports Consortium served as the host city sponsor for the NCHSAA volleyball championships.
