North Duplin’s Abigeal Norris Brown, right, goes up for a block during action against Lakewood in the Carolina 1A tournament quarterfinals. The Rebels travel to Woods Charter in round one of the NC HIgh School Athletic Association volleyball playoffs Tuesday. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
CALYPSO — North Duplin gets a “rematch” two years later.
In 2022, the Rebels fell to Woods Charter in round one of the NC High School Athletic Association Class 1A volleyball playoffs.
They meet again Tuesday evening in Chapel Hill.
First serve is 6 p.m.
“We’re excited because we get to play again … get the opportunity to play again as a team,” said North Duplin head coach Heather Best, whose team earned the 23rd seed.
One of four Carolina 1A teams to qualify, North Duplin (12-8 overall) finished third in regular-season play and advanced to the tournament semifinals. The Rebels are making their third straight postseason appearance and 17th overall in program history, according to NCHSAA records.
The 10th-seeded Wolves (16-5) claimed the Central Tar Heel regular-season championship. They’re 6-3 all-time in six playoff trips.
“Woods Charter is a good team, but so are we … look at it as an opportunity to play a good team and get better,” Best said. “A lot of teams don’t have this opportunity.”
North Duplin’s strengths have been its serving (318 team aces) and defense (school-record 973 digs).
The junior combo of setter Lilly Fulghum and libero Marissa Bernal have served 96 and 54 aces. Meanwhile, Bernal has picked up a team-leading 384 digs, followed by Fulghum (121), senior Iala Overton (115) and junior Ady Spence (100).
An all-around player, Fulghum has doled out 400 assists and surpassed the 1,000-assist mark for her career. Her top three hitters are senior Eva Quintanilla (142 kills), Tateyawna Faison (124) and freshman Maggie Brown (106).
Faison has posted a team-best 92 blocks.
Woods Charter is paced by senior Maya Sheridan – the team leader in kills (268), aces (78) and digs (293). Sophomore outside hitter Annabel Unah has 117 kills.
Freshman setter Cecilia Brignati has doled out 532 assists.
The Wolves have logged nine consecutive three-set sweeps and 14 on the season.
“We are watching film and looking at their strengths and weaknesses, and hope to just prepare as best we can for a good team,” Best said. “Our front line will need to be on [point] to stop their offensive, but I think it’s a good matchup. I’m looking forward to going back up and getting the chance to play to continue playing with these girls.”
According to the NCHSAA website, seeding criteria included a team’s final record, RPI and conference finish. Automatic qualifiers were seeded first. Once at-large teams were determined, they were placed in the bracket by RPI ranking.
On the Carolina 1A scene, Rosewood is seeded 4th. Neuse Charter is No. 17 and Hobbton is No. 21.
Falls Lake Academy is the east’s No. 1 seed, while Cherokee is the top-seeded western team. Falls Lake is the reigning east champion and state runner-up. The Firebirds won back-to-back state crowns in 2018 and 2019.
You may reach sports writer Rudy Coggins at prepswriter2@gmail.com or call/text 919-709-9257.
