2026 NCHSAA Volleyball Playoffs: Every Third-Round Matchup in All Eight Classifications
By Trey Scott | Neuse News Sports | October 21,
2026
Three area volleyball teams are among the survivors in the N.C. High
School Athletic Association playoffs, and each faces a No. 1 or No. 2
seed on Thursday, Oct. 22. South Lenoir, Goldsboro and C.B. Aycock are
headed on the road as the postseason reaches the third round in all
eight classifications.
In the 3A East bracket, No. 9 South Lenoir advanced with a four-set
victory over No. 8 Farmville Central and travels to top-seeded Midway.
No. 7 Goldsboro defeated No. 10 Martin County 3-1 to earn a meeting with
No. 2 Wake Preparatory Academy. In 5A East, No. 7 C.B. Aycock swept
No. 10 Eastern Alamance 3-0 and now visits No. 2 Cedar Ridge.
If South Lenoir gets past Midway, its fourth-round opponent would be
No. 5 Louisburg or No. 13 Princeton. Goldsboro would face No. 3
Ayden-Grifton or No. 6 Bartlett Yancey with a victory over Wake Prep.
C.B. Aycock’s potential fourth-round opponents are No. 3 Fike and No. 11
South Brunswick.
Several lower seeds have already changed the shape of the brackets.
No. 15 Rosman reached the 1A West third round, while No. 7 Apex advanced
past No. 2 Hoggard in 8A East and No. 8 Hough eliminated top-seeded
Pinecrest in 8A West.
Thursday’s matches are regional quarterfinals in Classes 1A through
7A. Winners will move into the fourth round Saturday, Oct. 24. In each
East or West section below, the winners of the first two
matchups will face each other in the fourth round, as will the winners
of the final two. The higher remaining seed hosts, according to
the playoff bracket.
Class 8A follows a shorter bracket. Its third-round matches Thursday
are the regional semifinals; those winners advance directly to the
regional championships Tuesday, Oct. 27, with no fourth-round
matches.
The full third-round matchups follow, with seeds included and the
visiting team listed first. Match times should be confirmed with the
participating schools.
Class 1A
East Region
- Pending: Winner of No. 8 Weldon STEM vs. No. 9 Cape
Hatteras at No. 1 Woods Charter. Their second-round meeting was still
awaiting a final result as of this preview. - No. 13 Hobgood Charter at No. 5 East Columbus
- No. 6 Northside-Pinetown at No. 3 Falls Lake
Academy - No. 7 Bear Grass Charter at No. 2 Vance
Charter
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
West Region
- No. 8 Bethany Community at No. 1 N.C. Leadership
Academy - No. 5 River Mill Academy at No. 4 Revolution
Academy - No. 11 Thomas Jefferson Classical at No. 3
Robbinsville - No. 15 Rosman at No. 10 Andrews
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
Class 2A
East Region
- No. 8 Roxboro Community at No. 1 Camden County
- No. 5 Pamlico County at No. 4 J.A. Holmes
- No. 6 Research Triangle at No. 3 Perquimans
County - No. 10 Gates County at No. 2 Manteo
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
West Region
- No. 9 Gray Stone Day at No. 1 Cherokee
- No. 5 Murphy at No. 4 Cornerstone Charter
- No. 6 Christ the King at No. 3 Mountain Island
Charter - No. 7 Highland Tech at No. 2 Community School of
Davidson
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
Class 3A
East Region
- No. 9 South Lenoir at No. 1 Midway
- No. 13 Princeton at No. 5 Louisburg
- No. 6 Bartlett Yancey at No. 3 Ayden-Grifton
- No. 7 Goldsboro at No. 2 Wake Prep Academy
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
West Region
- No. 9 Draughn at No. 1 North Stanly
- No. 13 Polk County at No. 5 Hendersonville
- No. 6 Pine Lake Prep at No. 3 East Surry
- No. 10 McMichael at No. 2 Trinity
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
Class 4A
East Region
- No. 9 Randleman at No. 1 Uwharrie Charter
Academy - No. 12 First Flight at No. 4 Bunn
- No. 6 West Stanly at No. 3 Clinton
- No. 10 Carrboro at No. 2 Southwestern Randolph
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
West Region
- No. 8 Fred T. Foard at No. 1 Lake Norman
Charter - No. 5 Ashe County at No. 4 East Gaston
- No. 11 Brevard at No. 3 South Rowan
- No. 7 Maiden at No. 2 Forbush
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
Class 5A
East Region
- No. 8 Orange at No. 1 Seaforth
- No. 5 West Carteret at No. 4 Person
- No. 11 South Brunswick at No. 3 Fike
- No. 7 C.B. Aycock at No. 2 Cedar Ridge
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
West Region
- No. 9 North Lincoln at No. 1 West Henderson
- No. 5 Oak Grove at No. 4 Franklin
- No. 6 South Point at No. 3 Carson
- No. 7 Crest at No. 2 Hickory
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
Class 6A
East Region
- No. 8 Lee County at No. 1 West Johnston
- No. 5 Middle Creek at No. 4 East Chapel Hill
- No. 6 Southern Lee at No. 3 Swansboro
- No. 7 Union Pines at No. 2 J.H. Rose
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
West Region
- No. 8 A.C. Reynolds at No. 1 North Iredell
- No. 5 T.C. Roberson at No. 4 Alexander Central
- No. 6 Sun Valley at No. 3 Northern Guilford
- No. 7 Asheboro at No. 2 Watauga
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
Class 7A
East Region
- No. 8 Jack Britt at No. 1 D.H. Conley
- No. 5 Chapel Hill at No. 4 Topsail
- No. 11 Fuquay-Varina at No. 3 Heritage
- No. 7 Wake Forest at No. 2 Cardinal Gibbons
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
West Region
- No. 9 Cuthbertson at No. 1 Marvin Ridge
- No. 5 Mooresville at No. 4 Southwest Guilford
- No. 6 Weddington at No. 3 Grimsley
- No. 10 Page at No. 2 Reagan
Fourth-round path: Winner of matchup 1 vs. winner of
matchup 2; winner of matchup 3 vs. winner of matchup 4.
Class 8A
East Region
- No. 4 Laney at No. 1 Green Level
- No. 7 Apex at No. 3 Green Hope
Regional final path: Thursday’s two winners will
meet Oct. 27.
West Region
- No. 8 Hough at No. 5 Ardrey Kell
- No. 3 Northwest Guilford at No. 2 West Forsyth
Regional final path: Thursday’s two winners will
meet Oct. 27.
What’s next
Fourth-round matches in Classes 1A-7A are scheduled for Saturday,
Oct. 24. Regional championships in all eight classifications are set for
Tuesday, Oct. 27. The state championship matches are scheduled for
Oct. 30-31 at Gilbert Craig Gore Arena at Campbell University.
Bracket note: One 1A East second-round result — Weldon STEM
against Cape Hatteras — remained pending in the available bracket when
this preview was prepared. The corresponding third-round spot is
identified by both possible opponents rather than an assumed
winner.