Prep volleyball: Green Hope’s 4-year title run comes to an end in 3-1 loss to Providence
Green Hope’s long reign as North Carolina’s 4A girls’ volleyball champion has ended.
The Falcons’ hopes for a fifth straight state title were dashed Tuesday night by Providence 3-1 in the Western Regional finals. Green Hope (13-1) took the opening set against the visiting Panthers (18-0) and then dropped three in a row.
Two other Wake County teams are advancing to the state finals, however.
East Wake beat Perquimans 3-2 and will play Mountain Island Charter in Saturday’s 1A championship.
For Green Hope, the school lost for the first time in 30 matches and its first loss to a North Carolina opponent in more than three years.
Providence will face CAP 7 4A champion Cardinal Gibbons (16-0) for the 4A state title at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. That match will take place at Green Level High.
Green Hope had trouble with the Panthers all night, never leading by more than three points in any set.
The Falcons took the opening set 25-23, winning four of the final six points. The winning point came when Providence was unable to return a soft shot by sophomore Paris Lewis over the Panthers’ front line.
That first set was crisply played, but the second wasn’t. Each team had several unforced errors, including four bad serves by Green Hope. A set with eight lead changes ended with Providence winning 30-28.
The Falcons dropped the third set 25-18, but it might have been the most tightly-played of the night, with 10 lead changes. Green Hope led for the last time at 11-10 but stayed within a few points of the scrambling Panthers, who repeatedly found a way to return the strong shots of Falcon front-liners like Belle Patrick, Sophie Carlson and Lewis.
A Green Hope mistake eventually made the difference. Trailing 20-18, the Falcons had a service error. Providence scored the final five points.
The Falcons looked like they might have regained their momentum early in the fourth set, building a 5-3 lead. The match was tied at 11-11, but Providence’s Madison Cail had three kills as the Panthers built a 14-11 margin.
Carlson’s kill enabled Green Hope to cut the margin to 17-16, but Providence finished in a blaze, scoring eight of the match’s final 10 points.
THREE WHO MATTERED
Madison Cail, Providence: A senior, Cail leads the team in kills. And that’s what she did Tuesday night, with an unofficial total of 27.
Katie Cruise, Providence: Cruise is the Panthers’ quarterback, and she seemed to be everywhere Tuesday night and was especially effective returning shots from Green Level’s powerful front line.
Belle Patrick, Green Hope: Patrick has been the team leader all season in kills and digs, and she was a standout again Tuesday night, with 17 kills.
WORTH MENTIONING
▪ Tuesday’s loss ended some remarkable streaks for coach Karl Redelfs’ Green Hope team. The Falcons hadn’t lost a match since Sept. 14, 2019, to Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif. They had won 82 in a row against North Carolina competition, last losing on Sept. 9, 2017, to North Raleigh Christian.
▪ What’s more, Tuesday’s loss was Green Hope’s first against a North Carolina public school since the Falcons fell to Panther Creek on Oct. 4, 2016.
▪ For five Falcons, Tuesday’s loss was their last as a high school player. Seniors on the team are Ashley Cao, Delaney Kearns, Molly Norris, Sophia Kruczko, and Annie Elvin. Cao was among team leaders in several categories.
▪ Green Hope looks loaded again for next season. Belle Patrick, the team leader in kills, is a freshman. Patrick and sophomore Taylor McNear ranked 1-2 in digs.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
Volleyball Playoff Results
Class 4A
West
Providence 3, Green Hope 1
East
Cardinal Gibbons 3, Pinecrest 0
Saturday’s state final at Green Level High: Providence (18-0) vs. Cardinal Gibbons (16-0) 3:30 p.m.
Class 3A
West
Cox Mill 3, TC Roberson 0
East
DH Conley 3, Rose 1
Saturday’s state final at Green Level High: DH Conley (15-1) vs. Cox Mill (18-0), 1 p.m.
Class 2A
West
Fred T. Foard 3, West Wilkes 0
East
McMichael 3, North Lenoir 0
Saturday’s state final at Green Level: McMichael (17-1) vs. Fred T. Foard (18-0), 10:30 a.m.
Class 1A
West
Mountain Island Charter 3, Bishop McGuinness 0
East
East Wake Academy 3, Perquimans 2
Saturday’s State Final at Green Level: East Wake (12-1) vs. Mountain Island Charter (18-0), 6 p.m.
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 10:00 AM.
