GOLF
Stone earns trip
to state tourney
Beaufort High golfer Izzy Stone earned an individual berth in the Class 4A state meet with a strong performance at the Lower State qualifier Monday at Coastal Carolina University’s Hackler Course.
Stone carded a 12-over-par 84 to finish third overall, two shots behind medalist Gracie McCoy of AC Flora and one back of North Myrtle Beach’s Cara Hilburn. The top three individual finishers from non-qualifying teams earn individual invitations to the state tournament.
Hilton Head High qualified as a team, posting a team score of 392 to finish third. The Seahawks were 19 shots behind champion AC Flora and 11 back of runner-up Myrtle Beach. Bluffton (433) was seventh, and Beaufort (494) was 11th.
Hilton Head High will host the state championship on Oct. 28-29 at Shipyard Golf Club.
VOLLEYBALL
Eagles fight
off Dolphins
on Senior Night
Beaufort High volleyball celebrated Senior Night with a hard-fought sweep of crosstown rival Battery Creek on Oct. 15.
The Eagles edged the Dolphins in three tight sets, winning 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-18).
Hannah Merchant led the Eagles with 11 kills and nine digs, while Olive Renforth added 17 digs and four kills and was 16-of-17 serving with three aces, and Zyaire Middleton dished out 21 assists and went 15-of-16 serving with two aces. Libero Peyton Polk added 12 digs and was 11-for-12 serving with two aces, and Sakura Simmons had 13 digs and served 9-for-10.
Eagles sweep Cougars, clinch No. 2 seed
Beaufort High volleyball wrapped up the regular season with a sweep of Colleton County on Thursday, clinching the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Class 4A playoffs.
The Eagles won 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-18) to ensure they will host a first-round playoff match on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Hannah Merchant (12 kills, 11 digs, two blocks, 16-of-17 serving, four aces) and Olive Renforth (10 kills, six digs, 8-for-8 serving, three aces) led the attack for the Eagles, while Zyaire Middleton dished out 22 assists and picked up 24 digs.
Middle blockers Hayley Trader and Arry Brown continued their strong play at the net, as Trader notched three kills and two blocks, and Brown added four kills and a block, and Sakura Simmons added 17 digs and served 14-for-15 with one ace.
BA sweeps THA twice
Beaufort Academy volleyball swept past Thomas Heyward on Thursday, and repeated the feat again Monday.
The Eagles rolled to a 3-0 (25-10, 25-16, 25-11) victory in the first meeting. Chase Vaigneur showed off her versatility for BA, passing out 11 assists to go with 14 kills and three digs, while McCayla Willingham added 11 kills and two blocks, and Emily Ann Hiers had 15 assists, four kills, seven digs, and three aces. Amelia Huebel added seven kills and three blocks for the Eagles, and Mary Hanna Hiers had 10 digs and three assists.
BA cruised to a 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-17) victory in the rematch, which was the Eagles’ final match before the SCISA 1A state tournament this weekend in Myrtle Beach.
Vaigneur posted another double-double with 10 kills, 12 assists, and two aces, while Willingham had 11 kills and four blocks, and Emily Ann Hiers contributed six kills, 11 assists, and nine digs for the Eagles. Mary Hanna Hiers added a team-high 20 digs, and Gracie Cope had five aces.
BA wins wild
5-setter vs. Cathedral
Beaufort Academy volleyball outlasted Cathedral Academy for a five-set win in a matchup of SCISA 1A title contenders Friday.
The Eagles won the first two sets, dropped the next two, then took a marathon fifth set to claim a 3-2 (25-17, 25-20, 22-25, 23-25, 19-17) victory.
Emily Ann Hiers (11 kills, 12 assists, 12 digs) and Chase Vaigneur (14 kills, 11 assists, 13 digs) each recorded triple-doubles, and McCayla Willingham had a huge night at the net with 11 kills and 12 blocks to lead the Eagles. Amelia Huebel added nine kills and six blocks, Mary Hanna Hiers had a team-high 18 digs, and Gracie Cope contributed 10 digs and two aces.
SWIMMING
BA teams finish
7th at state
Beaufort Academy finished seventh in both the boys and girls standings at the SCISA 2A/1A state swim meet Saturday in Augusta.
Emma Grace Dinkins was the top scorer for BA’s girls, placing fifth in the 100 freestyle and 12th in the 200 IM, and Joseph Patterson led BA’s boys, finishing seventh in the 200 free and the 100 back.
