—By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — All four of the higher-seeded. middle school volleyball teams advanced to the semifinals of the Watauga championship tournament on Oct. 6, with 2-0 sweeps, but that hardly tells the story. All of the Round 1 matches were played in Lentz Eggers Gym at Watauga High School.
Each of the four matches had tense moments when it appeared an upset — at least in a set, if not in the match — could occur. No. 1 seeded Hardin Park arguably had the easiest time of it, but No. 8 seeded Green Valley did not go away quietly into the night, at one point in the second set tying the score 9-9 and then 11-11 before the Golden Eagles pulled away from the Eagles for good with final set scores of 25-5, 25-13.
No. 2 Parkway dominated No. 7 Valle Crucis early in the second match, outpointing them 25-6 in the first set. But Valle Crucis got things going in the second set, their confidence building before ultimately losing the set, 25-21.
After winning the first set vs. No. 6 seeded Bethel, 25-16, the No. 3 seed, Cove Creek, was down 16-19 in the second set before going on a run to lead 22-21, then finishing the match with a 25-21 second set score.
The No. 4 seed, Blowing Rock, couldn’t seem to do anything right early in the first set against No. 5 Mabel, falling behind 7-1 at the start. But the Rockets eventually found their mojo with strong serving and patient setting, eventually tying the first set at 14-14 for the first time, then cruising to a 25-18 set win, then had little trouble closing out the west siders in the second set, 25-16.
Blowing Rock now advances to play Hardin Park in the first semifinal (4:30 p.m.), while Cove Creek will take on Parkway in the second semifinal (5:30 p.m.), both played on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The championship matchup will feature the winners on the same night, Oct. 11, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. All matches are at Lentz Eggers Gym on the Watauga High School campus.
