JH Rose sweeps Fuquay-Varina out of volleyball playoffs

The only thing that could end Fuquay-Varina’s historic season in volleyball was a school with as much volleyball history as anyone east of Raleigh.

The Bengals set records for wins in a season and furthest advancement in the playoffs this year, but ran into a buzzsaw in the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs in Greenville Thursday night. Host J.H. Rose, the defending 4A champions, swept the Bengals 3-0 with ease (25-16, 25-9, 25-15).

While No. 2 Rose (22-1) marched on to a fourth-round meeting with the only team it lost to all year – 13-seed New Bern, which toppled Fuquay’s conference foe Panther Creek 3-1 – No. 10 Fuquay-Varina (20-4) saw its great year come to a close.

“We just didn’t play our game. We forced way too much. You could tell we were out of our element,” Fuquay-Varina coach Jeff Pagel said. “We just woke up too late.”

The Bengals weren’t sharp and Rose was hitting on all cylinders. The Rampants’ rallies were fast and overwhelming.

Rose scored 14 of the last 18 points to close out Game 1, went on an 8-0 run to finish off Game 2 and ended the Bengals’ season with a 13-4 run.

Rose’s tempo was quicker than anything the Bengals had seen this year, and they couldn’t catch up.

“They are awesome,” Pagel said. “They’re a well-coached team. They’re obviously the defending state champ – they look it. Their defense was on point. We could not find a hole. Their offense found every hole we had and anytime we tried to close it, they found anothe hole. They’re a well-oiled machine.”

Fuquay’s improvement has been marked in Pagel’s tenure as Bengals head coach, having improved or equaled the previous year’s win total in five consecutive seasons.

Twenty wins? Check.

Third round of the playoffs? Check.

Conference championship? That’s still up for grabs.

Though Fuquay-Varina is losing four seniors, Pagel thinks there’s a chance for next year to be just as special.

“We have 15 on our roster and seven or eight are sophomores that haven’t played a big game like this, haven’t been in the third round,” Pagel said. “I think our youth caught up with us.”

Of those seniors, Pagel praised the leadership of reserves Kat Ellett and Lisa Khare, but the biggest losses will be senior twins Morgan and Maddie Sonnendecker. The two have been major players in the program, particularly the last three seasons.

“We had fun this season. I think that’s why we won as much as we did,” Pagel said. “That’s what I’ll remember the most.”

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 1:53 AM with the headline "JH Rose sweeps Fuquay-Varina out of volleyball playoffs."