DOBSON, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Community College volleyball program capped a perfect conference season on Saturday, winning its eighth consecutive Region 10 tournament championship.
The top-seeded Red Hawks (32-4) defeated host and fifth-seeded Surry during the tournament semifinals before dispatching No. 2 seed Cape Fear in the championship game.
"We had a couple of our starters out, and we had players who really needed to step up and help us be able to be competitive and give us a chance. They did," said CVCC head volleyball coach Shannon Hudson. "I could not have asked for more. They played really well together. We were able to run our systems. Ball control was phenomenal. I'm just really proud of how they stayed together, worked hard and pulled for each other all along."
CVCC finishes conference play having not surrendered a single set in 18 conference matches played, and it also extended its unbeaten streak in Region matches to 179-0 the past eight seasons (143-0 in conference).
No. 1 Catawba Valley 3, No. 5 Surry 0
Led by 11 kills each from right side Siena Naotala and outside hitter Aasia McNeill, the Red Hawks swept the Knights in the first of two semifinals on Saturday morning.
Set scores were 25-15, 25-17 and 25-18.
Middle hitter Sage Harrington added 10 kills in the attack for Catawba Valley, while setter Amber Barker recorded a team-high 13 digs and 17 assists.
No. 1 Catawba Valley 3, No. 2 Cape Fear 0
The Red Hawks claimed their 12th Region crown in program history by holding the Sea Devils at bay in the tournament championship game.
Set scores were 25-17, 25-22 and 25-21.
Harrington recorded a team-high eight kills for CVCC, while McNeill and Naotala weren't far behind with seven kills each.
Barker (14) and fellow setter Macy Pope (13) combined for 27 assists to help guide the Catawba Valley attack.
Three Red Hawks reached double figures in digs in the contest, including Pope (15), outside hitter Lilly Weaver (14) and libero Bre Myers (13).
Following Saturday's championship match, Naotala, Barker and Myers were named to the all-Region 10 tournament team. Myers was selected as the tournament's MVP.
With its victory, the CVCC volleyball team advances to the Southeast District championship game, which the Red Hawks will host on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Tarlton Complex.
Catawba Valley faces Region 7 champion Walters State in the District final with the winner advancing to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DII National Tournament in Charleston, W.Va. on Nov. 21-23.
It will be the fourth meeting this season between the Red Hawks and Senators. CVCC has won all three meetings.
"They are a tough team," Hudson said of the Senators. "We've got a lot of work to do to prepare for them this weekend. We have played them several times this year, and we've learned some things that we need to do in order to be successful. I think that's an advantage going into this weekend. They are a tough team. Their ball control is really good. They've got some key players that we're going to try to slow down. It's definitely going to be a tough week of practice ahead as we get geared up for this upcoming weekend."
