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Volleyball: Providence, Cox Mill, Foard, Mountain Island advance to regional finals

Providence High’s volleyball team didn’t play well at times Saturday afternoon. But the Panthers won, and their coach learned something about her team.

“I saw them under duress. I saw them come back,” Maggie Malone said. “I was proud of them.”

The Panthers advanced to the 4A Western Regional finals by rallying for a 3-2 set victory at Northwest Guilford.

Next up for Providence is a Tuesday evening match in Cary against four-time defending state champion Green Hope.

The Panthers were one of four Observer-area teams to advance to the regional round:

In 3A, unbeaten Cox Mill (17-0) beat West Henderson 3-1. The Chargers will host TC Roberson (16-1) in Tuesday’s 3A Western Regional final at 6 p.m.

In 2A, unbeaten Fred T. Foard (17-0) beat Patton 3-1. Foard will play at West Wilkes (17-0) in Tuesday’s state semifinal.

And in 1A, Mountain Island Charter (17-0) beat Alleghany 3-0. It will host Bishop McGuinness (15-1) Tuesday.

At Providence, the Panthers feel lucky to be playing. On Thursday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools initially put all sports on pause due to rising COVID-19 cases in the area, before deciding to allow teams already in the playoffs, like the Panthers to continue playing.

Saturday, Providence started slow.

The first time Providence played at Northwest Guilford this season, on Dec. 21, the Panthers were flat in the first set but won 3-1.

The Panthers repeated that flat-in-the-first-set thing Saturday, but they never got consistently good. For lengthy stretches, Providence dominated. But the Panthers (17-0) made enough mistakes to keep Northwest Guilford (16-2) very much in the match.

“We were good at times and bad at times,” Malone said. “It wasn’t our best match of the season.”

The first set didn’t go well.

Northwest Guilford broke a 4-4 tie with eight straight points. A short time later, the Vikings led 16-6, and Providence was scrambling to recover. The Vikings’ tall front line - 6-2 senior Amelia Hammond, her 6-2 sophomore sister Grace, and 6-3 junior Julia Humphrey - gave Providence fits, and the Panthers fell 25-12.

“I was proud of how our team came out in the second set,” Malone said. “It’s hard to come back after you’ve been beaten that soundly.”

With Panther senior Madison Cail wreaking havoc on the front line, Providence jumped to an 11-4 lead and won 25-11. The Panthers took the third set 25-19, as Gabby LaPata finished with a service ace.

But things went haywire for Providence in the fourth set. Service problems and unforced errors at the net enabled the Vikings to bolt to an 8-4 lead, and they evened the match with a 25-21 victory.

In the fifth set, the Vikings self-destructed early with three errors, and Providence jumped to a 5-1 lead. After a mild Northwest Guilford rally, Cail scored three straight points at the net, Providence led 11-3, and the Panthers coasted to a 15-9 triumph. Katie Cruise served an ace for the final point.

“Sometimes it takes a while to adjust,” Malone said. “Our girls made the adjustment after the first set. We kept making some mistakes, but we played very well at times.”

THREE WHO MATTERED

Madison Cail, Providence: Despite being at a height disadvantage against Northwest Guilford’s front line, Cail dominated much of the afternoon. She finished with 21 kills.

Katie Cruise, Providence: Malone calls Cruise the “team’s quarterback,” and she finished with 54 assists.

Julia Humphrey, Northwest Guilford: A junior, Humphrey had a big afternoon with 23 kills.

WORTH MENTIONING

Providence won’t practice before its Tuesday match at powerful Green Hope. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials put athletics on hold, except for volleyball teams and cross-country runners to finish their playoffs. However, the exception does not allow practices.

The Panthers had 10 serves that went over the opponent’s back line. “That wasn’t our strategy, to serve to the back line,” Malone said. “Those were simply errors.”

Malone said Cail was a key to the victory. “She’s a really good player, but she turned it up another notch today,” Malone said.

After playing the first round at home, Providence has logged plenty of playoff miles. The Panthers traveled to the mountains Thursday against McDowell, then to Greensboro on Saturday, and will bus to the Raleigh area Tuesday night.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

Class 4A

Saturday’s quarterfinals

West

Providence def. Northwest Guilford 3-2 (12-25, 25-11, 25-19, 21-25, 15-9)

Green Hope def. Reagan 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-14)

East

Pinecrest def. Hoggard 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-23)

Cardinal Gibbons def. Millbrook 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-11)

Tuesday’s Regional finals

West

Providence (17-0) at Green Hope (13-0)

East

Cardinal Gibbons (15-0) at Pinecrest (17-0)

Class 3A

Saturday’s quarterfinals

West

Cox Mill def. West Henderson 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-10)

T.C. Roberson def. Marvin Ridge 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-17)

East

D.H. Conley def. Chapel Hill 3-1 (25-16, 26-28, 25-19, 25-20)

J.H. Rose def. Person 3-1

Tuesday’s Regional finals

West

T.C. Roberson (16-1) at Cox Mill (17-0)

East

J.H. Rose (13-2) at D.H. Conley (14-1)

Class 2A

Saturday’s quarterfinals

West

Fred T. Foard def. Patton 3-1 (16-25, 25-20, 25-10, 25-9)

West Wilkes def. West Stanly 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-15)

East

McMichael def. Carrboro 3-1 (25-18, 19-25, 25-21, 25-16)

North Lenoir def. Croatan 3-1 (22-25, 27-25, 25-11, 25-20)

Tuesday’s Regional finals

West

Fred T. Foard (17-0) at West Wilkes (17-0)

East

McMichael (16-1) at North Lenoir (12-0)

Class 1A

Saturday’s quarterfinals

West

Mountain Island Charter def. Alleghany 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-23)

Bishop McGuinness def. Murphy 3-2 (21-25, 25-16, 25-22, 26-28, 15-11)

East

East Wake Academy def. Falls Lake Academy 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-18)

Perquimans def. Neuse Charter 3-1 (25-20, 26-28, 25-21, 25-18)

Tuesday’s Regional finals

West

Bishop McGuinness (15-1) at Mountain Island Charter (17-0)

East

East Wake Academy (11-1) at Perquimans (17-0)

NOTE:

Finals are Saturday