Hough volleyball roars into third round of playoffs

Hough (25-3) won by 3-0 scores in the first round against South Mecklenburg on Oct. 22 and against Hopewell on Oct. 25. The Huskies, coached by Sandi Skidmore, have a nine-match winning streak.

Hough’s balanced attack is led by Kailyn Overcash (218 kills, 158 digs and 51 aces), Julie Brown (166 kills and 60 blocks), Kat Kennedy (163 kills and 76 digs), Nicole Destefano (159 kills and 70 blocks), Nikki Hero (698 assists, 133 digs and 45 aces) and Paige Zartman (169 digs and 108 kills).

Huskies score huge soccer win

Hough High won at least a share of the I-MECK 4A conference boys soccer championship with a 2-1 victory against Lake Norman on Oct. 24.

The Huskies improved to 18-1-2 overall and 12-0-1 in conference play. Hough could win the title outright with a victory against Mallard Creek in a game that was scheduled to be played on Oct. 26. It is the final regular-season contest for the Huskies.

Hough’s Patric Andreas and Santiago Patino scored goals in the victory against Lake Norman. Nathaniel Goodwin and Michael Basnett each had an assist.

Lake Norman, second in the I-MECK 4A standings, lost for the first time since late August and slipped to 16-2-4 overall and 11-1-1 in conference.

Lake Norman Charter volleyball rolling

The Lake Norman volleyball team won its first two matches in the Class 1A state playoffs, beating Mitchell (25-14, 25-8, 25-12) in the first round on Oct. 22 and defeating Avery (25-18, 25-17, 25-23) on Oct. 25.

The victories bumped the Knights’ record to 26-0. Lake Norman Charter will host Hendersonville in a third-round playoff game on Thursday, Oct. 27.

Charter qualifies for state golf tourney

The Lake Norman Charter girls golf team finished second in the Class 1A/2A Western Regional on Oct. 24 and earned its first-ever berth in the state tournament.

The Knights finished second among 13 teams at the regional, which was played at Woodbridge Golf Club in Kings Mountain.

Lake Norman Charter was led by junior Maegan Ports, freshman Kaelyn Pack and junior Kayla Thomas, who qualified for the state tournament, slated for Monday, Oct. 31, and Tuesday, Nov. 1, at Longleaf Country Club in Pinehurst. Brittany Buckstad and Megan Ferry also contributed to the Knights’ victory.

Hendersonville won the regional with a 282 score, followed by Lake Norman Charter (305), North Lincoln (306) and Mountain Heritage (306).

Davidson sisters help win title

Sisters Annie and Kate Collom, both of Davidson, helped Concord Cannon School win the inaugural N.C. Independent School Athletic Association girls golf championship in Greensboro on Oct. 18.

The Colloms, with teammates Taylor Burner and Anna Redding, combined to shoot a 232 score. Kate Collom, a sophomore, shot a 75 to win the low medalist honors in the nine-team tournament. Annie Collom, a freshman, shot 78. Both sisters were named to the all-state team.

Lake Norman Charter reaches second round

The Lake Norman Charter girls tennis team advanced to the second round of the Class 1A state playoffs before losing East Wilkes, 5-1, on Oct. 25. Mallory Warren won a singles match for the Knights (11-2), and the three doubles matches weren’t played because they wouldn’t have affected the outcome.

Lake Norman Charter beat Pine Lake Prep, 5-1, in the first playoff round on Oct. 18. Sravya Upplapati was the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A conference singles champion, and Knights Leanne Smithers and Warren won the conference doubles championship.

Davidson Day caps fine soccer season

Davidson Day soccer forward C.J. Bradley, who scored 25 goals, was named the Southern Piedmont Athletic Association Player of the Year. The Patriots were 13-3-2 overall, 11-3-1 in conference and earned a state playoff berth.

Davidson Day’s Taylor Cox, Jackson Goyette and Austin McCarty also were named to the all-SPAA team.

Sign up for indoor lacrosse league

Registration is open for Top Tier Lacrosse’s Winter Indoor League. Play is open for boys in grades 5-12, and will be on Saturday afternoons from Nov. 5 to Jan. 28, 2012 at Charlotte Sports Center. For information, and to register, go to www.t2lax.com

Lake Norman pitcher commits to 49ers

Lake Norman High’s Jon Stires, a junior left-handed pitcher, committed to play for the Charlotte 49ers.

“I chose UNCC because they have one of the best pitching programs in (NCAA) Division I baseball,” Stires said.  “Last season for six weeks they lead the nation in pitching stats and were only four wins from making the College World Series.

“After visiting and playing this summer at some of the best colleges such as North Carolina, Western Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Appalachian, Winthrop and many others, I felt like UNCC was the best fit.  The coaching staff, facility and campus are first class and I really felt like it was where I needed to be.”

Davidson College men’s hoops squad picked first in SoCon Coaches Poll

The Davidson men’s basketball team has been picked to win the Southern Conference South Division by the league’s 12 head coaches, and juniors Jake Cohen and JP Kuhlman were named to the preseason all-conference team.

Davidson earned 10 first-place votes and finished the balloting with 65 points in the South Division. College of Charleston earned the final two first-place votes and finished with 56 points. Georgia Southern was tabbed third (42) ahead of Furman (34). Wofford (32) was selected fifth with The Citadel (17) rounding out the South Division.

Chattanooga captured nine first-place votes and led the North Division with 64 total points. Appalachian State (51) earned two first-place votes and finished second, while Western Carolina (44) grabbed the final first-place vote in the North Division. UNC Greensboro (42) was slotted fourth, while Elon (39) and Samford (16) rounded out the North Division.

Appalachian State senior guard Omar Carter was named the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year as part of the preseason all-conference team. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team or player as part of the balloting.

Davidson returns 11 lettermen and four starters for the 2011-12 season, and seven of the Wildcats’ top eight scorers last season were freshmen or sophomores. The Wildcats posted an overall record of 18-15 (10-8 in conference play) and advanced to the second round of the College Basketball Invitational a season ago.

The Wildcats’ 2011-12 campaign opens with an exhibition game against Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday, Nov. 5, and Davidson starts the regular season with consecutive home games against Guilford (Nov. 11, 8 p.m.) and Richmond (Nov. 14, 8:15 p.m.).

Single-game tickets for the 2011-12 men’s and women’s basketball seasons are now on sale. Men’s single-game tickets are priced as low as $14 for adults and $7 for youth, tickets for the women’s team are $6 for adults and $3 for youth.

Season tickets and Five-Game Mini Packs are also still available, starting as low $50 per package.

Davidson’s Sanders earns national honor

Davidson goalkeeper Chip Sanders received his most prestigious honor to date, as he was named the Disney Soccer/NSCAA Player of the Week for Oct. 26 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Sanders earned a pair of 1-0 shutouts against No. 2 North Carolina and Wofford last week, making seven saves in each game. He now has eight shutouts on the season, tying a Davidson single-season record.

Sanders is the first Southern Conference player to win the award this season. He was nominated for the NSCAA award by the SoCon as the league’s player of the week.

The senior tri-captain will be recognized at halftime of the NSCAA College Game of the Week on Fox Soccer Friday, Oct. 28, as High Point hosts Virginia Commonwealth at 7 p.m.

Earlier this week, Sanders was named to the CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll and the College Soccer News National Team of the Week for his exemplary performance in the North Carolina and Wofford games.

The Wildcats will honor their seniors, including Sanders, before Saturday’s game against Appalachian State, set to start at 7 p.m. in Alumni Stadium. The game will also be the team’s inaugural Kick Cancer event to raise money to support the Susan G. Komen foundation and its efforts to fight breast cancer.