North Surry's Courtney Campbell (12) slams a kill earlier this season. Campbell was voted the tournament's most valuable player.
North Surry made its dream run official Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum, sweeping Randleman in three games to capture the 2009 North Carolina 2A volleyball championship.
The Greyhounds finish the season a dominant 33-0, being pushed past three games in only four matches all season.
The Greyhounds took the title in normal fashion, dispatching Randleman, 25-13, 25-21, 25-17.
Senior Courtney Campbell was named Tournament MVP for her 18-kill performance Saturday.
Campbell said it was a great accomplishment, not only for her, but her entire team.
“It’s a great ending to my senior year and to my favorite sport,” she said.
Campbell also said that after the Greyhounds defeated Newton-Conover in a tight match to advance to the Western regional final, North coach Shane Slate challenged his team to not let up and that it was gratifying to finally be able to show her coach who is the best in 2009.
“After Newton-Conover, he said we weren’t finished and that after we win the title then we can come back and tell him that we were the best,” she said. “It felt good to say it to coach Slate after he pushed us.”
Slate said he was proud of his team’s overall performance Saturday.
“We played really well and were able to keep them off balance,” he said. “That was the big reason we were able to win three games.”
One of the Greyhounds’ main strengths all season long was their ability to present many different scoring threats. Slate said Saturday was no different.
“We had five different players with at least five kills,” he said. “So that made sure we were facing single blocks most of the time when we were attacking.”
Campbell was incredible Saturday, finishing with the game high 18 kills, but she wasn’t the only Greyhound who stood out, as Morgan Bunker added 11 while Nicole Rumplasch finished with eight and Sara Parker had seven.
Senior Kara Hodges, the 2009 Northwest 1A/2A player of the year, also had a monster game from her setter position, finishing with a whopping 42 assists.
Slate said that offensively, North was strong from front to back.
“We had a lot more attempts on offense, and part of that was, I thought, our passing with Emily (Culler) and Sara (Parker) both putting a lot of balls to target, which gave Kara (Hodges) the opportunity to spin it around,” he said.
In addition, Hodges was 16-of-17 in service with four aces, while Emily Culler was 13-of-13 with one ace and Bunker was 11-of-12 with three aces.
Culler also had 11 digs while Bunker added eight of her own.
Rumplasch led North with three blocks, while Summer Robertson and Bunker added two each.
For seniors Campbell, Hodges, Parker and Robertson, Saturday marked the last time they will take the volleyball court as Greyhounds.
All four were 2009 all-conference selections and all four have been playing volleyball together for many years.
Slate said his group of seniors, as well as the rest of his team, earned the title through their efforts on and off the court.
“First off, with the seniors, it’s a group that has really put in a lot of hard work both with us and in the off-season and in the weight room,” he said. “You like to see people that work hard rewarded and I feel like those four got that reward today that they have been working for.”
From a coach’s perspective, Slate said being a part of the state title was an honor.
“I told the girls before the match that I felt very fortunate and I appreciated the work they did to get there,” he said. “As a coach, you always want to be able to be part of a program and a team that is playing in the biggest games.”
It gets no bigger in high school volleyball than a state title, and with Saturday’s win, the 2009 North Surry Greyhounds placed themselves among the best and most dominant volleyball teams in the history of Surry County.
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