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Autumnal Wednesday

Wednesday 02 November 2022

It's All Souls' Day, so visiting Nana's and Papa's grave is of course in order. We would have visited yesterday but for the fact that the Girl was playing in the state semifinals, and our whole evening was a tangle.

Their win made the local paper:

Mauldin volleyball tops Dorman, wins first Upper State Championship in program history

For the first time in school history, Mauldin volleyball will play in the SCHSL state championship game.

The words that described what it felt like were hard to find, Mauldin volleyball coach Val Thoms said as her team celebrated on the court.

But there is one word to describe what Mauldin volleyball did Tuesday night:

Historic.

At home inside the Mauldin High School gymnasium the Maverick girls volleyball team defeated powerhouse Dorman 3-1 to win the Class AAAAA Upper State Championship and advance to the SCHSL state championship game for the first time in program history.

Mauldin plays the winner of Wando and Lexington — the Lower State champion — at 7 p.m. Saturday at Dreher High School in the state title game.

Students, coaches and parents swarmed the court as soon as the final point was scored.

“It’s phenomenal,” Mauldin senior Jurnee Robinson said. "We’ve been trying for this the past four years. We just feel like now is our time and we’re going to win it. We’re going to give it all we got.”

Mauldin senior Anna Schneider said it was important for her team to finally get past the Cavaliers, who swept their postseason competition en route to the AAAAA state championship last season. That included a third-round playoff win over the Mavericks (31-7).

“It’s so surreal,” Schneider said. “It was so great playing on our home court, that meant so much to us. Those long years that we’ve lost to them … it really means a lot to get over this hump and be a great team.

“It just means so much. I literally can’t put it in to words.”

Robinson set the tone early and throughout the match. Her six kills in the first set allowed the Mavericks to take the set 25-18. The LSU volleyball commitment and 2021 all-state selection had 485 kills entering Tuesday’s state semifinal match and finished with 28 kills. Schneider had 15 kills.

After winning the first set, Mauldin dropped the second, 25-21, and Dorman (31-6) seemed to rebound well. But Mauldin took the third set and then won the fourth set, 25-19, to clinch the win. Dorman was led in kills by Carly O’Brien, who had 14 total in the match.

“We just told them, just be patient,” Thoms said she told her team after dropping the second set. “And we have to serve the ball in more, pass a little better out of serve-receive and then when were in system … we can’t be stopped. So, just take a couple deep breaths … and win it with our offense.”

Last season, Dorman defeated River Bluff to win the AAAAA state championship for the first time since 2017. Paula Kirkland, Dorman's legendary volleyball coach, has 14 state titles as head coach at Dorman and is one of two volleyball coaches in SCHSL history to win over 1,000 matches.

“It’s really kind of indescribable to be honest,” Thoms said. “I think its what this program needs – and what volleyball in this area needs. Because, Dorman is the name … I just think this proves; it doesn’t matter. We just go out, do your thing, be good athletes and anybody can beat anybody.”

Greenville News

It puts yesterday's win in perspective.

In the evening, the Boy and I went swimming, taking one of his friends with us.

Upper-State Championship

Tuesday 01 November 2022

Only one thing stood between our girls and their first appearance in the state volleyball finals: Dorman High School. They've beaten our girls a number of times, but we've taken them once or twice as well. However, there was a special reason to win tonight (beyond just advancing, of course): last year, in the quarter-finals, they beat us. So it was time for some revenge.

Our girls didn't quite beat them 3-0: they lost the second set, but came back to take the next two for a 3-1 win. The State newspaper already had a story about it less than an hour after:

For the third time in program history, the Lexington High School volleyball team will play for a state championship. The Wildcats defeated powerhouse Wando 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 18-25, 25-17) on the road Tuesday to win the Class 5A Lower State championship. Lexington will face Mauldin for the state title Saturday at Dreher High School.

Mauldin defeated Dorman, 3-1, in the Upper State championship. It is the Mavericks’ first championship appearance.

The State

Next opponent, last opponent: Lexington.

Halloween 2022

Monday 31 October 2022

Shots from Yesterday

Sunday 30 October 2022

Highlight Reel

Sunday 30 October 2022

Despite battling illness and the MaxPreps top-ranked volleyball player in South Carolina, River Bluff pushed Mauldin to the limit in each of their 3 sets during Thursday’s Upper State Semifinal AAAAA State Playoff match. A mere 7 points separated the two teams in the 3 sets. Still, the Mavericks proved just a little too much for the Gators.

While all three sets saw numerous lead changes, River Bluff’s points seemed to come with more difficulty. When all was said and done, fans had been treated to a match between two of the best volleyball teams in the state. In fact, one could easily argue that the state’s top four AAAAA teams were competing in Thursday’s Upper State semifinals. While River Bluff’s season ended prematurely for Gator fans, the team can rest somewhat comfortably knowing they were a part of this elite group.

River Bluff Athletics

Throw In

Saturday 29 October 2022

It's heartbreaking to watch the Boy's team, who has won only one game this year, take a 1-0 lead in the first half only to lose 1-2. But the Boy had a great game.

"I'd say we should move him up to attack," said one of the parents, "but he's our best defender, too."

Today’s Guest Teacher

Friday 28 October 2022

Quarter Finals

Thursday 27 October 2022

The Girl's team went into tonight as the underdogs. Facing River Bluff, the number 1 seed in the state, our girls were ranked fourth. Add to it the fact that River Bluff had already beaten us twice this year and it's easy to see why Mauldin was not the favorite.

On the River Bluff athletic's page, they posted a short story about it today:

River Bluff hopes to continue their playoff drive tonight as they travel to Mauldin for a matchup between two number 1 seeds. While the two programs are quite similar, River Bluff won both of the matches between the two programs earlier in the season in close 2-set sweeps.

River Bluff Athletics

They even included stats about the previous games, and even though the first chart of team-scoring averages seemed to favor Mauldin, they still had beaten us in both meetings, by the same scores, in fact.

My thought was that we had to win that first set. That seemed like a non-negotiable. Early on we were up by four or more, but then River Bluff came back. It went back and forth until Mauldin broke free and won 25-22.

"River Bluff will be out for blood now," I thought, and they were indeed. They led most of the second set, and when it was 18-22, I thought we might not be able to recover. But we did, taking the second set 27-25.

"The River Bluff girls are broken now," I told K. I didn't mean that they were going to fall apart but simply that while they could have brushed off a first-set loss, a second-set loss would sting all the more. I thought one thing would be running through the River Bluff girls' heads: had this been a best-of-three set game like in most tournaments, it would have been over.

The third set was close, but in the end, our girls swept them with a 25-23 win in the final set. The reaction was amazing, first from the girls, then from the students watching:

The River Bluff girls were heartbroken, with several of them just in tears. "I saw," L said, "it was kind of sad." That's just the nature of sports, though. Someone has to win; someone has to lose. And after our rough club season earlier this year, I am so glad to see our Girl winning like this.

A couple of L's friends from another high school -- the high school we'd beaten to be regional champions -- came to cheer Mauldin on. The three of them played club together this year, and they're happy for L as well.

"That's the number one team in the state!" I said to one of the girls. Her expression grew serious as she clarified, "Not anymore."

Indeed.

Next up -- Dorman. Last year, they beat Mauldin in the quarter-finals. Time for some revenge...

Wednesday

Wednesday 26 October 2022

Students today began an incredibly short Halloween unit that will focus on irony, so we did a quick review of irony with a gallery walk. It's always a fun activity: the kids move around the room, looking at various images or texts and discuss them with a particular end in mind. Today, for example, they were to determine how each image was ironic.

"Don't just explain what's going on in the picture," I clarified after we'd done a quick review of what irony is. "If you don't explain the expectation and how that expectation was defied, you haven't explained irony."

In the evening, the Boy and I went out to find basketball shoes for him as he begins his basketball season.

At first, I was hesitant: "They're somewhat expensive," I texted K, "and I don't really know that he needs them."

"He only has one pair of shoes," she replied, "so he'll need another pair soon enough."

I looked at him: "Will you wear these to school after basketball season?"

"Of course!"

The Journey Continues

Tuesday 25 October 2022

Tonight the Girl's high school volleyball team's quest for the state championship continued with a victory over Byrnes High School.

"It shouldn't be any problem," the Girl said offhandedly. "We've beaten them three times already this year."

When the first set began, though, the girls from Byrnes seemed intent on telling a different story. They went back and forth, staying within a point of each other until the girls from Byrnes eased ahead: 12-13. Then 13-14. And 15-16. And 16-17. They just maintained that one-point lead, which is nothing to worry about, but if a one-point lead extends to a two- or three-point lead as they near 20, it becomes more problematic. 18-19, and I began to wonder.

Finally, the girls leveled it out at 19-19, and L rotated into server. She sent one skimming over the top of the net and the Byrnes girls struggled to receive it, and they were forced to pass it over with a free-ball. Our girls made quick work of it: 20-19. L served again. The Byrnes girls set their outside hitter, but our right side and middle were there and stuff the ball back to make it 21-19. Then L hit an ace for 22-19. Byrnes at this point called time out, but our girls were on a roll. L served again, and we won the point. 23-19. The Girl sent a shot that skipped off the top of the net and dropped among the defenders for set point: 24-19. Finally, L served for set. The Byrnes girls received it, set their hitter, and our libero took it easily, passing it to the setter. We all knew who was getting the ball: she's a senior, the most powerful hitter, and team leader. The set went to Journee, sent a lightening ball into Byrnes' court. It had ricocheted off the floor and was well above the girls' heads before they knew what hit them.

Sunset at the football stadium

This Thursday, they have their most important game of the season: they face River Bluff, who has beaten them twice this year. However, the Girl's team has beaten teams that beat River Bluff, so it's far from clear who will win.

We'll find out soon enough.