PSHS volleyball secures 200th win, advances to Lower State Championship

The Philip Simmons High School girls’ volleyball team picked up a milestone victory on Nov. 7 in a Class AA playoff game against Atlantic Collegiate.

 

Not only was it the 200th victory in the program’s short but successful history, it also gave the Iron Horses a date in the Class AA Lower State championship.

 

The Iron Horses topped Atlantic Collegiate 3-1.

 

“It was a good match. We were evenly matched,” said coach Jay Watterworth after his Iron Horses gained their 200th victory against 68 losses and eight ties in just eight years of existence. “It was a good experience.”

 

That victory gave the Iron Horses a berth in the Nov. 12 Lower State championship at North Central High School, a team that hasn’t lost a game in its playoff run. 

 

The victory over Atlantic Collegiate, located in Conway, also gave the Iron Horses a 41-7 record this fall. The 41 victories are a school record.

 

“To get to 200 wins that quickly– it is a neat thing to be a part of,” Watterworth said. “It’s a tribute to our players, fans, and community. That’s an average of 25 wins over eight seasons.”

 

The Iron Horses recorded 41 kills, six aces, 11 blocks, and 71 digs versus Atlantic Collegiate. Gabby Kakalev tallied 14 kills, two aces, and seven digs, while McRae Stephenson had 10 kills and five blocks. 

 

The Iron Horses topped Manning in the first round and followed that up with a win over Lake City. It marked the fifth time in eight years the Iron Horses reached the Lower State final. However, the Iron Horses have been denied a berth in the state championship four times. The Iron Horses’ only appearance in the state championship was in 2022, when they dropped the match against Wrenn.

 

Meanwhile, the Bishop England girls, who won the Class AA state championship last fall, competed at Class AAAA and reached the third round. The Bishops topped Beaufort and Hilton Head but dropped a third-round decision to May River.

 

TENNIS

Bishop England and Philip Simmons were slated to play in the AAAA and AA Lower State championships, respectively, on Nov. 12. 

 

The Bishops were scheduled to play South Florence, with the winner advancing to the state championship on Nov. 16. The winner will face the winner of the Daniel-A.C. Flora Upper State championship.

 

Philip Simmons, which was the Class AAA state champ last fall, was scheduled to play Academic Magnet in the Class AA Lower State match, with the winner advancing to the Nov. 16 state championship.

 

CROSS-COUNTRY

Philip Simmons holds down the No. 1 spot in both the girls’ and boys’ Class AA final state poll ahead of the state championships. 

 

The Iron Horse boys hold down the top spot, while Academic Magnet is No. 2. The girls are No. 1 with Laurens No. 2. 

 

Bishop England is No. 2 in both the boys’ and girls’ Class AAAA poll. May River is No. 1 in the boys’ poll, and Bluffton is the top girls’ team.