Playing on the road for a berth in the state final was not the only factor working against the Lexington High School volleyball team.

History against nemesis Wando was also not in the Lady Wildcats’ favor. Heading into the Nov. 1 South Carolina High School League Class 5A Lower State final, Lexington had managed just two wins in the 25 matches with the Lady Warriors dating back to 2007.

Undaunted by those challenges, the Lady Wildcats came away from Mount Pleasant with a four-set victory over Wando to earn their third trip to the state final and first since 2019. 

Lexington took a hard-fought first set 25-21 after rallying from as many as five points down. Trailing 19-16, the Lady Wildcats scored nine of the final 11 points to take the set.

It was the same score in set two as the Lady Wildcats closed  it out with a 7-1 run.

Looking to stave off elimination, Wando (33-10-1) rallied in the third set. The Lady Warriors led as many as nine points before taking a 25-18 win to get within 2-1 of Lexington.

It proved to be a temporary setback as the Lady Wildcats took full command in the fourth set. They jumped out to a 9-1 advantage and led as many as 13 points before closing out Wando 25-18 for their sixth straight win of the season and first win at Wando since 2008.  

Standing in the way of the first school title in school history for the Lady Wildcats (28-12) at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 at Dreher High School is Mauldin. The Lady Mavericks (31-7) dethroned defending Class 5A champion Dorman in four sets to claim the Upper State title.

The two teams met Sept. 8 as part of a tri-match at North Myrtle Beach with Mauldin winning in three sets. The Lady Mavericks have won the last two meetings with the Lady Wildcats, who led the series 3-2.

Tickets will be available at their respective schools and the SCHSL website. The match can also be streamed for a fee at nfhsnetwork.com.

Liberty 3, Gray Collegiate 0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-11)

The Lady War Eagles’ quest for the school’s first-ever title in volleyball ended Nov. 1 in the Class 2A Upper State final.

It’s the first state title appearance since 2014 for the Lady Red Devils. They will face Oceanside Collegiate at 10 a.m. Nov. 5 at Dreher High School.

Gray Collegiate ends the season with a 20-14-1 record.