Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009

Ousted Chiefs upbeat about 2010

LITTLE RIVER -- While there were a few tears shed, North Myrtle Beach's reaction to losing the Class AAA Lower State volleyball semifinals seemed almost enthusiastic.

No, the Chiefs weren't feeling great after getting beat in straight sets to Bluffton Monday night. But at the same time, not even a season-ending loss could remove the fact that the majority of this year's Region VII-AAA championship team is going to be on the court next year.

"I'm very excited for next season," All-State setter Megan Johnson said after the Chiefs fell 25-18, 25-17, 25-13. "I know we can get this done and go even farther next year."

The three-set loss came to a Bobcats squad that is considered one of the best teams in the state. Bluffton has multiple Lower State titles and a state championship in the past five years.

At times, that experience appeared to overpower the young Chiefs.

North Myrtle Beach - which beat Lake Marion and South Aiken in straight sets to set up Monday's match against Bluffton - led in the opening set 7-3 before Bluffton turned it on. The Bobcats took the lead at 16-15 and then scored seven of the last eight points to win the first.

During the second, Bluffton scored the first five points, led by as many as nine and rolled to the big advantage. By the time the third set began, North Myrtle Beach was struggling to keep up.

The Chiefs trailed by at least five points for nearly the entire final set.

Still, coach Estelle Barentine dispelled belief that her team lost simply because it fell behind early.

"We've been the underdogs all season," Barentine said. "So I don't think that had anything to do with it. They weren't as crisp as they could be. I think we hurt ourselves. We had a lot of errors. We gave them a lot of points."

Bluffton (28-13-3), a team that has yet to lose a set in the postseason, advances to the Lower State championship game on Wednesday against the winner of Monday evening's Camden-Brookland-Cayce match.

The Chiefs finish the year 21-7 overall. They will lose seniors Cameron Vogel and Meghan Hinds. At the same time, Barentine will return Johnson, as well as sisters Moriah and Grace Jones. The nucleus of the team should eliminate the underdog role.

"I don't think we played our best as a team, but we gave it everything we had," Barentine said. "We didn't leave anything out there."