BOONE — The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) has unveiled its volleyball playoff brackets, rewarding strong seasons for both the Watauga and Ashe County programs with first-round byes. All three high schools within the Mountain Times Publications’ coverage area, including Avery County, have qualified for the upcoming postseason, which is set to begin this Saturday.
The Lady Pioneers of Watauga and the Lady Huskies of Ashe County will commence their playoff campaigns on Tuesday, October 20, thanks to their first-round byes. Watauga enters the 6A West playoffs as the No. 2 seed, building on its second-straight sweep of the Northwestern 6A/7A Conference championships. With an impressive 22-3 record, the Lady Pioneers could potentially host games up to the West regional finals. Their journey begins in the second round against the winner of the match between No. 15 Ragsdale (9-11) and No. 18 Dudley (10-10). Should they advance, Watauga would then face the winner from a group comprising No. 7 Asheboro (16-8), No. 10 Asheville (14-14), or No. 23 Central Cabarrus (6-14) in the third round. Other teams from the Northwestern 6A/7A Conference also qualifying include Alexander Central (No. 4 in 6A, with a first-round bye), South Caldwell (No. 9 in 6A), St. Stephens (No. 16 in 6A), Freedom (No. 20 in 6A), and McDowell (No. 23 in 7A).
Ashe County’s Lady Huskies are fresh off winning the Mountain Valley 2A/3A/4A Athletic Conference (MVAC) regular season and tournament championships. They enter the 4A state playoffs with a 17-6 record, earning them the No. 5 seed. The Lady Huskies will open their postseason play in Tuesday’s second round, facing either No. 12 North Surry (14-9) or No. 21 West Iredell (5-17). The victor of this matchup will move on to the round of 16, where they are slated to play against the winner of a contest involving No. 4 East Gaston (23-9), No. 13 Pisgah (12-12), or No. 20 Newton-Conover (6-16). Beyond Ashe County and Alleghany, other MVAC teams to qualify for the playoffs include Elkin (No. 10 in 2A), East Wilkes (No. 20 in 2A), Starmount (No. 21 in 2A), and North Wilkes (No. 11 in 3A).
Avery County, with a 7-13 record overall and 2-10 in the Western Highlands 2A/3A Conference (WHC), secured a spot in the 2A West playoffs as the No. 19 seed. The Lady Cougars will hit the road this Saturday for their first-round match against No. 14 Alleghany (11-9), a Northwest North Carolina foe that plays in the nearby MVAC. The winner of this initial game will advance to face No. 3 Mountain Island Charter (22-3) in the second round on Tuesday. Other WHC teams entering the playoffs are Mitchell (No. 15 in 2A), Owen (No. 4 in 3A, also receiving a first-round bye), Hendersonville (No. 5 in 3A, also receiving a first-round bye), Polk County (No. 13 in 3A), Mountain Heritage (No. 17 in 3A), and Madison (No. 24 in 3A).
The NCHSAA playoffs will host the first five rounds of action at the higher-seeded team's venue. The third and fourth rounds are scheduled for October 22 and 24, respectively. Regional finals are set for October 29. The ultimate NCHSAA championships will take place on October 30-31 at Gilbert Craig Gore Arena on the campus of Campbell University.
