Brevard ousts Shelby from 2A playoffs

Shelby hosted Brevard on Tuesday night in the 2A state playoffs and it was quickly apparent the visiting Blue Devils had a powerful front line.

Brevad prevailed 3-0 at Lloyd Little Gymnasium to earn the right to advance.

Game Scores: Brevard 25-17, 25-12, 25-13.

Records: Shelby finishes the season 15-10. Brevard is now 18-4, and will play the winner of Owen and Canton Pisgah on Thursday in the third round.

First game: The first game was the most competitive of the three. The Blue Devils got out to a 9-4 lead early but the Lions fought back within one, 14-13. From this point the Blue Devils turned it up a notch, and helped out by some unforced Shelby errors, they eventually prevailed 25-17.

Shelby did not stack up to the size of Brevard’s front line. Shelby tried to counter Brevard’s big hitters all night, but did not have an answer for junior Kate Henson (6-foot-1) who finished the match with 14 kills. Shelby’s inability to slow the big hitters allowed the Blue Devils to score easily.

Seniors last efforts: Katrina Jiamachello finished with five kills and eight digs for Shelby. Patience Smith provided 12 assists and Laura Beth Hamrick notched five assists and five digs. Senior Kyla Young finished with two aces. Junior Morgan Koder contributed nine kills, five blocks, and 11 digs.

From the coaches: “Brevard was a solid team and their height was a match up problem for us. We had a great year, and are losing four exceptional seniors who have been with me for three years.

“These seniors leave this volleyball program in a lot better position then when they got here. They have started something here that I hope continues year after year here,” said Shelby coach Amanda Mounce.

“Coming off of an hour and 45 minute drive I did not know how our girls would respond. However, they played well. Shelby is a up and coming program that should be in the mix in the coming years,” said Brevard coach Sammy Pressley.