Local volleyball races are tightening as Ayden-Grifton, Farmville Central, North Lenoir, and East Duplin sit among the top seeds in the East RPI, while Greene Central, South Lenoir, and Jones Senior remain in the playoff mix.
Tarboro, Northside-Pinetown, Pender, and Eastern Wayne headline the East RPI race, while Greene Central, Kinston, and Ayden-Grifton sit firmly in playoff contention and South Lenoir, Farmville Central, and North Johnston battle on the bubble.
The Martin County Gators shocked Greene Central on the road Friday night, using two blocked punts returned for touchdowns and a physical defensive effort to leave Snow Hill with a 38-14 upset victory.
Greene Central volleyball has positioned itself well through the first half of the season, entering mid-September with an 8-5 record and a 2-0 start in conference play. The Rams have shown balance, holding a 5-1 mark at home and battling to a 3-4 record on the road, while riding the confidence of a three-match winning streak.
Greene Central stayed unbeaten at 4-0 with a 40-36 win over North Pitt, powered by Dejuan Cobb’s 187 rushing yards and Josh Cetnar’s four total touchdowns.
Greene County Middle School started its season 1-0 after defeating Hope Middle School 16-6, snapping a 10-year drought against the Mustangs. Kyler Davis finished with 160 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Greene Central opened conference play with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Tarboro on Tuesday, winning 25-7, 25-3, 25-8. The Rams improved to 6-5 overall and 1-0 in league play.
The NCHSAA released its latest Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) standings this week, which determine playoff seeding across football, volleyball and soccer. RPI is calculated by a team’s winning percentage, its opponents’ winning percentage, and its opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage. Importantly, RPI is the only factor used to seed postseason brackets.
The Greene Central Rams (2-2-2) made a big statement Tuesday night with a 4-2 home victory over previously unbeaten D.H. Conley (3-1-2), and senior captain Miguel Zavala was at the heart of it all.