The Hilton Head High Seahawks are two wins away from a second straight SCHSL 4A volleyball title.
Region 7-4A foe Lucy Beckham gave the hosts a challenge Thursday in The Nest, but the Seahawks prevailed in three sets (25-15, 25-20, 25-23) to advance to Tuesday’s Lower State final.
“We kept our energy up and we never gave up,” Seahawks star Ady O’ Grady said. “We had the mentality to never let the ball drop. It was close from point to point, but we definitely stayed as one and finished together.”
After a back-and-forth start to the opening set, Hilton Head grabbed control with eight consecutive points and cruised to a 25-15 win thanks to a dominant O’Grady performance at the net. The Seahawks raced out to an 11-4 advantage in the second set, but a fire-alarm delay gave Lucy Beckham an opportunity to regroup. The Bengals capitalized, battling back to tie the frame at 20, but Kenzie Ryan took over down the stretch on offense and defense as the Seahawks rattled off five straight points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Hilton Head kept the momentum going into the third set, opening up a 12-7 lead on the strength of three early Ava Edri kills and an Olivia Shamlou ace. A string of Seahawk miscues kept Lucy Beckham within striking distance, and the Bengals rallied to take a 21-20 lead, but a service error and a mishit put the Seahawks back on top, and Edri added two more kills to help the Seahawks hold on for a 25-23 victory and punch their ticket to the state’s final four.
Hilton Head High (31-7-2) continues its quest for back-to-back state titles Tuesday at Aiken in the Class 4A Lower State final.
By Wes Kerr
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