Shorthanded Middle Creek rolls past Cox Mill in 4A volleyball championship
You'd never have known that Middle Creek's best player was halfway across the world. Not on Saturday night. Not while her team was playing that well in a state championship match.
Surely, you'd think, there would be some drop-off. Surely they'd struggle. They couldn't be expected to do what no Middle Creek team had ever done without their Team USA player.
But you'd be wrong.
Middle Creek proved it was the best team in the state -- and strong emphasis on that word "team" -- by defeating Cox Mill 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-17) on Saturday in Reynolds Coliseum for the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A volleyball championship. It's the first volleyball title for the program.
Sally Perez, Middle Creek's senior who was averaging 5.5 kills a match (479 total) with a 48.6 kill percentage, was in Thailand with USA Volleyball's National Team Development Program. It would've been understandable to find it hard to adjust in your first game without a reigning first-team all-state pick and UCLA beach commit, but the Mustangs have the hardware.
"We knew if we stuck together an we just really focused on fundamentals we could hold our own," coach Jodi Scoggins said. "I'm sad because the season's over, but we went as far as we could possibly go."
Middle Creek dominated from the outset, save for a little back-and-forth in the second set which it eventually won 25-19 after a 25-15 blowout in the first set. The third set was also anticlimactic, with the Mustangs winning 25-17.
The Mustangs are the third different school from the Southwest Wake Athletic Conference to win the volleyball title in the last five years. They're also the ninth straight 4A champ from Wake County; the 4A West has not won the title since 2012 Ardrey Kell defeated Leesville Road.
Cox Mill (24-4), the third seed in the 4A West, got powerful swings from Nebraska recruit Ryan Hunter, a junior, as well as senior Arielle Walker and sophomore Jordan Gray. The Chargers' three losses coming into the match came to Marvin Ridge (which was avenged in the fourth round of the playoffs), Green Level, and Ardrey Kell.
The Chargers were making their third championship appearance, having won it all in 2016 and also finishing runner-up in 2020.
The team had to face some ups and downs this year, including a coaching change about five weeks ago when Ralph Viegelmann — who coached the two previous Cox Mill finalists — came back to coach the team in the final weeks of the regular season.
"I expect Cox Mill to have another good season next year," Viegelmann said. "Congrats to the girls, it was kind of a roller coaster season for them and they had to adapt to some changes throughout the season."
Middle Creek (26-1), the top seed in the 4A East, kept rolling right along thanks to senior setter Avery Scoggins. The Arizona recruit — who was named MVP of the match — found teammates like Avery Booker, Josie Zynczak, and Natalie Spence to keep the Chargers off-balance.
"Our main goal is to play selfless, and I think we did that well tonight," said Avery Scoggins.
Middle Creek's only loss coming into the match came from Green Hope on Aug. 29, a result that it avenged later in the season and again in the East regional final.
The Mustangs were making their first appearance in the championship.
Before the contest, one player from each team was awarded NCHSAA sportsmanship awards. For Middle Creek it was Booker, for Cox Mill, it was Hunter.
