Ardrey Kell volleyball heads back to the state finals
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Ardrey Kell Knights are headed back to the North Carolina state high school volleyball finals on Saturday, Nov. 6, where they will take on the Green Level High School from Cary, North Carolina.
This matchup comes after the Knights were able to win their match against Watauga High School this past Tuesday in the 4A West regional finals. The expectations have been at an all-time high for Ardrey Kell all season, as this team returned a ton of talent from last year.
鈥淲e had a lot of players coming back, a lot of talent,鈥� Knights head coach, Zoe Bell, . 鈥淎 lot of people had high expectations of this team because they are so talented.鈥�
With the win over Watauga on Saturday, the matchup is set for two powerhouse volleyball teams to meet. The state championship match will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Reynolds Coliseum on the North Carolina State campus in Raleigh.
The Knights of Ardrey Kell bring a 31-1 record and will face Green Level High School, carrying a 26-1 record. With only two losses between them, this matchup will prove to be a tremendous challenge for both teams.
Bell is a state final regular
Taking a team to the state finals is an annual expectation for Bell, who has been there many times. She previously coached Providence High School and took that team to four state championships between 1989 and 2008. In 2009, she began coaching at Ardrey Kell and since has one state title in 2012 and three runner-up finishes in 2009, 2018 and 2019.
鈥淲e missed getting back to the finals in that strange COVID-19 year, but this team worked hard to get where they鈥檙e at,鈥� Bell .
Four current members of the team were present for the 2019 run that finished with a 3-1 loss to Green Hope High School from Cary.
The regional finals were a challenge
Going up against the Watauga Pioneers, the Knights were a little rusty and had to settle in. This year was the first for the Pioneers to be in the 4A bracket, previously being a 3A powerhouse.
The first set began with the Pioneers taking a 3-0 run before the Knights found their grove and finished the game with an 8-1 run to a score of 25-14.
Moving to the second game gave the Knights much of the same result as they fell behind Watauga 10-9 before roaring back to win 25-20.
Watauga found their toughness in the third set and finished that game with a 25-20 win.
鈥淲e鈥檙e small, but we鈥檙e mighty, that third set is how we played all year,鈥� Watauga head coach Kim Pryor after the match.
The final set went to the Knights with a score of 25-17, but it was easy to see that the Pioneers were a tough team and gave the Knights a challenge throughout the game.
On to the state championship
With the regional finals win secured, the Knights look forward to their matchup on Saturday, where they will try to capture their second state title during the tenure of Coach Bell.
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