North Lenoir rallies past West Stokes in five sets, extends playoff streak
LA GRANGE - North Lenoir wasn’t ready for its season to end.
Down two sets to one Saturday, the Hawks rallied past West Stokes 3-2 in the opening round of the NCHSAA 4A volleyball playoffs, extending their streak to five consecutive seasons with at least one postseason victory.
The 11th-seeded Hawks (17-5) defeated the 22nd-seeded Wildcats 25-21, 19-25, 11-25, 25-16 and 15-11, setting up a second-round trip to sixth-seeded West Stanly on Tuesday.
North Lenoir won the opening set but dropped the next two, including an 11-25 setback in the third. One set away from elimination, the Hawks responded with a 25-16 fourth-set victory before closing out the match 15-11 in the fifth.
Coach Heather Carson said the turnaround started with a reminder to stop pressing and play freely.
“I said just relax and have fun, because I felt like we were just kind of tensing up and not playing our game,” Carson said in a postgame interview. “And that’s what they did in the fourth set. They came out and just did it in the fifth set.”
Camryn Jenkins led the Hawks with 13 kills and 10 digs, while Kenzie Carson recorded 11 kills and 11 digs. Both finished with double-doubles.
Kennedi Starkie supplied 10 kills and eight blocks, and Kelsi Stroud added five blocks. Maddie Howard ran the offense with 36 assists and 10 service points, while Bijou Sutton contributed a team-high 11 service points.
Heather Carson credited Jenkins and Kenzie Carson for their work on both sides of the net.
“They played defensively and hitting at the net,” Carson said. “They played well, and they just keep coming at ’em.”
Jenkins said the Hawks kept their season on their minds after dropping consecutive sets.
“Even after our two sets that we lost, we knew that we wanted to keep going and we didn’t want our season to end,” Jenkins said.
“We just kept going and never gave up,” Kenzie Carson added. “We just battled for each other.”
The home crowd also gave North Lenoir a lift. Carson said the turnout was one of the largest the team had seen this season.
“They were energetic, and I do think that helped us,” she said.
The victory continued a postseason streak dating to 2022. North Lenoir has now won at least one playoff match in five straight seasons, though the Hawks’ route through the bracket has varied from year to year.
Up next: North Lenoir at West Stanly
North Lenoir will travel to Oakboro for a 6 p.m. match Tuesday, Oct. 20, against sixth-seeded West Stanly (20-6) in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs. The Colts earned a first-round bye and went 12-0 in conference play.
The Hawks have won three straight matches entering Tuesday’s contest. The winner advances to Thursday’s third round.
“We’re going to keep pushing, keep practicing, work on things we can work on, and keep going for Tuesday,” Jenkins said.
Watch the postgame interview with North Lenoir’s coach and players.