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The Parry McCluer High School volleyball team’s season came to a close with a 3-0 loss to Class 1 heavyweight Auburn in the Region 1C quarterfinals in Riner on Monday of last week.
The Eagles, seeded second out of the Mountain Empire District, cruised to a 25-6, 25-9, 25-14 victory. Auburn (24-2), which has won each of the past four Class 1 state titles, is slated to face district rival Giles for the regional championship tonight.
Sydney Mahaffey recorded two kills, one block and three digs for the Fighting Blues (9-10), who were seeded third out of the Pioneer District. Logan Vest tallied five digs for PM, and Natalie Mohler finished with two assists and three digs.
Overall, the Blues struggled to match the level of play of such an established power.
“We knew going into Monday night’s game that Auburn was going to be tough. They have a great program,” PM head coach Jessie Moala said. “I think nerves got the best of our girls that night.”
The loss ended a season of growth and progress for the Blues. PM started off 1-7 overall, but all six of the Blues’ non-district losses came against Class 3 schools – including two against a Rockbridge County team that won the Region 3C title on Saturday and is headed on to the Class 3 quarterfinals.
PM bounced back to win its final seven Pioneer regular-season matches, compiling an 8-2 district mark and landing in second place. The Blues fell to thirdseeded Eastern Montgomery in the Pioneer semifinals before sweeping fourth-seeded Narrows in the consolation game.
“Our team really found their groove in district play,” Moala said. “I think they became more confident in their abilities and in each other. A lot of things started to click.”
Mahaffey put together an impressive senior campaign, totaling 160 kills, 160 digs and 40 aces en route to first team All-Pioneer honors. Joining her on the all-district first team was sophomore Kadence Zollman, who had a breakout debut season at the varsity level with 137 kills, 137 digs, 66 blocks and 43 aces.
Senior Tatyana Turner (153 digs, 53 aces) and Mohler (281 assists, 141 digs, 30 aces), a junior, were named to the alldistrict second team, and senior Savannah Lewis (35 aces) received honorable mention laurels.
In addition to the turnaround in PM’s overall record, Moala believes that her team’s numbers show how far the Blues progressed over the course of the season.
“The amount of growth each individual player showed was remarkable,” the second-year head coach said. “When you compare our stats from last year to the stats from this season, the growth is astronomical.”
Despite graduating Lewis, Mahaffey, Turner and Alexys Tobias, the Blues are optimistic that this trend will continue in 2024.
“We are still in the building phases, but my goal is to keep improving,” Moala said. “Our girls are going to put in the effort in the offseason, and I’m confident this program will be even more successful as we continue to grow.”
