Philip Simmons boys’ volleyball team edges BE in close match
The Philip Simmons High School boys’ volleyball team picked up its most impressive victory since the High School League sanctioned the sport in time for the 2022 season by defeating Bishop England 3-1 on Sept. 14 at Father O’Brien Gymnasium.
The Iron Horses gained the victory to hand the defending state champ Bishops their first loss since the HSL sanctioned the sport. It gave the Iron Horses a 5-2 record and a little revenge after losing to undefeated BE in last fall’s state championship.
“Naturally, it was a very exciting match,” Iron Horse coach Amanda Newell said. “Bishop England has a fantastic team – it goes without saying. It was a battle and a hard-fought match. It took a little sting away from last year’s state championship. Bishop England took it to us and beat us without much effort.”
The match was a nail-biter as the Iron Horses claimed the close encounter.
“Anytime you walk away from a match that you win by six points, that tells you something,” Newell said. “Either team could have walked away with the victory. It’s just that we won points at the right time.”
The Iron Horses don’t have a senior on the team, so the future is bright – and that includes the current season. The Iron Horses fared well in the 12-team Carolina Forest Invitational over the weekend, claiming fourth place while the host school claimed the championship.
The team has had many players step up this season, including a couple of middle hitters: junior Frank Jannuzzi and sophomore Dylan Meinders.
The Iron Horses have a busy week. They were scheduled to travel to Ashley Ridge on Sept. 19 for a tri-match that also featured Fort Dorchester. Fort Dorchester and Ashley Ridge are fielding teams for the first time this season. They were scheduled to host Hanahan on Sept. 20.
BE girls volleyball
The Bishop England girls’ volleyball program owns the national record with 28 state championships in its illustrious history. But the Bishops have not won a state title since 2017.
Could this be the season the Bishops end the skid?
It just might be as the Bishops posted an impressive victory over Class AAAAA powerhouse Wando, owner of seven state championships. It marked the first time since 2015 that the Bishops knocked off the Warriors. The Bishops added an exclamation point by rallying for the victory at the Wando gymnasium.
Wando won the first set 25-13, but BE righted itself and won the second set 25-22. Wando claimed the third set but BE rallied to win the fourth set 25-19 and wrapped up the victory by winning the fifth set, 15-9.
That gave the Bishops a 13-3-2 record, including 1-0 in Region 7-AA play.
Region 7-AA is the home of the Bishops and Oceanside Collegiate Academy, the two teams that played in the Class AA state championship after coaches seeded the teams in the bracket rather than having a bracket that pitted the Upstate vs. Lower State. The Landsharks claimed the state title with a 3-1 victory over the Bishops.
The Bishops were scheduled to play at OCA on Sept. 21, and will host the Landsharks on Oct. 10.