VolleyBall Tournament Title Set

Tonight's semi finals of the Big East Volleyball Tournament was Wilson County versus Nash County on the floor of the Nash County schools and when all the points were added up the two Nash County Schools will collide Thursday for the title.

Top Tournament seed Northern Nash disposed of Fike who had earned their trip to the semis after beating Nash Central last night.  Northern played like the top seed and won 3-0.  All they then needed to do was know who would they play and the answer to that question was in doubt until the end of the fifth game.  You know if Rocky Mount and Hunt are playing volleyball against each other they are playing five sets.

Hunt the number three seed dominated the  net in the first two games as their tall front line blocked all attempts by Rocky Mount at the net and when they had the opportunity they had kills of their own to take command 2-0.

Rocky Mount survived the third game to get it to game four and by game four the taller Hunt players were beginning to show fatigue and those crisp kills were now being blocked by Tia Hudgins and company.  Game five saw Rocky Mount use it quickness to their advantage to win the last three games to advance to the finals against Northern Nash.

I saw all three of the Hunt/Rocky Mount VB games and the front line for Hunt has improved drastically since that 32-30 fifth game at Hunt earlier this year.  There is no doubt that Northern Nash has improved more than anyone else and their size will give Rocky Mount all they want.  Tonight Rocky Mount maybe even in the first two sets played the only way they can beat anybody and that is be athletic  but by games three, four and five their speed and athleticism  paid off.

Championship match is 6pm Thursday night at Northern Nash.

Need to give a call out the the Rocky Mount tennis team who beat Hunt Monday night to get second place in the conference standings. Only two teams from the Big East are guaranteed a playoff spot so since RM/Hunt tied they had a sudden death playoff for that second spot.  Hunt now has to wait to see if they get invited as the best of the rest when it comes to filling out the remaining slots in the playoffs.

I hope you saw the Rocky Mount Telegram I think it was on Sunday when they ran a story about Gryphon Baseball/Soccer player Sam Lilley.  The story was about his come back after being beamed by a line drive in baseball during the last regular season baseball game at Hunt.  All of us in attendance that day thought we had seen someone killed on the field in front of our eyes.

Praise the Lord for the work of the doctors as you can't even tell that Sam was ever hit.  He has shown courage already having taken the mound in baseball this fall and is a top defender on the Gryphon Soccer team.

Wednesday afternoon the Stretchlon Sports Show cameras will be at Nash Central covering soccer between NC and Northern Nash.  These two went double overtime the last time they played and played to a tie.

I got a big dilemma for Thursday night.  Got JV football PA to do at the Rocky Mount- Fike game while the VB championship will be at Northern.  I hate to say this but I'm praying for rain Thursday night.  You know VB is inside.

The Early Leader Is?

If the MVP vote in the NFL was given out after five games the run away winner this year would be Aaron Rogers of the Green Bay Packer.  Right now Green Bay is on cruise control  but man it's way too early  in the season.  Twelve more weeks until the playoffs and if the Packers don't get a boat load of injuries they are a shew in right?  To me they are playing too good to early to keep this pace up all year.  Just think of the 18-0 New England Patriots.  The season really hasn't started yet.

Florida State travels to Duke this weekend and  when has this ever happened?  The Blue Devils have a better record than  the Seminoles.  Duke is 3-2 and Florida State is 2-3 losers of three straight games.

Rocky Mount's Andrew Morales 11 games into his college soccer career is now playing on a top 25 Blue Devil team.  He has racked up the second most minutes played on the team and has 4 assists on the season.  He has taken 16 shots but not one has found the net as of yet.

It took a while but the ECU Pirates defense looks like the 2010 defense.  The Pirates have a major problem as all of a sudden they can't score and when you combine they can't  stop anybody OH BOY!

TCU has said yes to the Big 12 stopping what would have been a Big East member next year.  This surely opens the door for ECU but if I am the Pirates I would wait if the Big East comes calling until you know what Notre Dame, Rutgers and Connecticut are going to do.  Why move to the Big East if Conference USA and the Mountain West combine.  They could get the BCS qualification away from the Big East and if that was to happen what have the Pirates gained by moving?

What a difference three weeks make.  Rocky Mount soccer took it on the chin at Hunt 8-0 but last night in Rocky Mount Hunt escapes winning 3-2 over Rocky Mount.

Tonight in the gym the Rocky Mount Lady Gryphons host Hunt in the semi finals of the Big East Volleyball tournament.  First serve is set for 6pm.  The past three years these two teams have played each other fives sets six times.  Hunt beat Southern Nash in three sets to advance and in a real thriller the   #5 seed Fike came to Nash Central and beat the Lady Bulldogs in five sets to advance to the playoffs next week.  Fike now comes right back to Northern Nash tonight.

The two winners tonight collide for the title at the highest seed left Thursday night