Marvin Ridge rallied from a first-set loss to beat rival Weddington 3-1 on the road Tuesday, Sept. 29. The win snapped the Warriors' seven-game winning streak and tightened the Mavericks' hold on the Southern Carolina Conference (SCC) volleyball race.
Weddington took the opening set 25-19, but the Mavericks responded with three straight wins, 25-20, 25-14 and 25-15, according to MaxPreps. The loss was Weddington's first at home this season.
Victoria Simons, a Marvin Ridge senior, led all players with 18 kills, 13 digs and two aces. She told the Enquirer Journal the Mavericks needed a wake-up call after dropping that first set.
"We weren't playing our game. We were playing lazy … We woke up and we played our game," Simons said.
Junior Jamie Carnes added 10 kills. Kalyn Davis ran the offense with 18 assists and nine digs. Entering the match, Marvin Ridge had won 16 of its previous 17 contests, and the victory pushed the Mavericks to 21-3 overall.
Kendyl Younger paced Weddington with 18 kills, and Bella Denton contributed 16 assists. The Warriors fell to 18-6.
Weddington head coach Katie Jamerson, a former Marvin Ridge player, told the Enquirer Journal her team drifted from its scouting report after the strong opening set. She said the Warriors backed off their game plan, and it showed in the final three sets. Jamerson added that the team still has room to improve.
The Mavericks kept rolling Thursday, Oct. 1, sweeping Porter Ridge 3-0 on the road in Indian Trail to improve to 22-3. Simons recorded 11 kills with a .667 hitting percentage, and Carnes added eight kills and two blocks, according to MaxPreps.
Marvin Ridge won the NCHSAA 7A state championship last season, finishing 32-2. The Mavericks are the No. 3-ranked team in North Carolina, according to MaxPreps.
Weddington hosted Cuthbertson, 11-9 overall and 6-4 in the SCC, on Thursday, Oct. 1.
