The high school volleyball season is well underway and teams from Lexington County are looking to stack wins before beginning the region season. 

A few local teams are off to a hot start this season, including Lexington, River Bluff and Northside Christian Academy. All three teams are ranked in the MaxPreps top-25 and looking to improve more as the season progresses. 

The Gators are 14-4 entering this week after participating in multiple tournaments and tri-matches. River Bluff has picked up wins against other top-25 teams, such as Wando, Bishop England and Phillip Simmons. 

River Bluff is receiving major contributions from returning players like last year’s All-State selection Alexis Jodie. She is contributing in many ways but her assist numbers are unmatched with over 300 already. Carolina Tucker has over 100 kills, leading the team in that category. 

Masyn Mcclanahan keeps plays alive, leading the team in digs with just under 150. 

Lexington has played fewer games but is off to an 8-2 start in the early portion of the season. The Wildcats also have their share of big wins, including one over Northside Christian in their head-to-head match. 

The Wildcats thrive on a balanced effort from their senior leaders Emily DeRienzo, Jasia Brunson, Jazlyn Snow and Sydney Fischer. The four play well off each other and have their best success when they all make contributions. 

This week is a big one for the Wildcats. Lexington has one home match before ending the week with a tournament right before region play begins. 

Northside has played the fewest amount of games out of the top-25 ranked teams, but the Crusaders are off to a 3-1 start with their lone loss coming to Lexington. The Crusaders will play their first road match of the year this week before starting conference play against Cardinal Newman. 

Pelion is another Lexington County team off to a good start this season. The Panthers are 5-1-2 and on a three-match winning streak entering this week. Pelion picked up two wins against fellow Lexington County schools, beating Batesburg-Leesville in a tournament and Swansea at home. 

Senior Maiti Martin has made a big impact on the team so far. She leads the Panthers in kills, aces and assists. Sophomore Alexia Hansen, junior Brooke Stalnaker and senior Aubry Bruner are also making major contributions to the team’s success.  

Other teams around the county are looking to work through the kinks before starting region games next week. Irmo and Chapin began the week at .500 and looked to improve on their records before jumping into a region with River Bluff and Lexington. 

Gilbert also began this week sitting at .500 overall after winning three of their six matches. The Indians are one of the few teams to already have played region foes, splitting games last week against North Augusta and Aiken. 

Brookland-Cayce and Batesburg-Leesville are a few games under .500 but still have time to improve their records and compete for a region championship. Dutch Fork, Airport and Gray Collegiate are struggling out the gate but have at least one win under their belts.

Two teams are still seeking their first wins as of the start of this week. White Knoll is off to a 0-6 start but has battled in a few contests, despite having just one set win this year. Swansea is also winless with just one set win. The Tigers were scheduled to begin region play this week with a game against Keenan on Sept. 10. 

Next week’s games to watch

Northside Christian vs. Cardinal Newman - Sept. 17

Pelion at Ninety Six - Sept. 17

Brookland-Cayce vs. Gilbert - Sept. 17 

Chapin vs. Lexington - Sept. 19