North Myrtle Beach volleyball proving to be among state's best
Little River – After winning the state’s most prestigious in-season tournament, the North Myrtle Beach volleyball team can lay claim to being the best team in the state of South Carolina, in any classification.
The Chiefs won the Dorman Tournament of Champions on Sept. 23, beating several of the state’s top programs. Included were six victories over AAAAA state powers Wando, Nation Ford, River Bluff, T.L. Hanna, Lexington and Dorman. The Chiefs defeated Dorman in the championship contest and also recorded wins over SCISA power Porter-Gaud and Class A defending state champion St. Joseph’s Catholic.
Coach Alex Sing admits to being impressed by his team’s performance. It was their first appearance in the well-known event.
“It was a very competitive tournament and it really tested us a lot,” Sing said. “The championship against Dorman really could have went either way. It was great for us. We felt we had a good team but you never really know until you get tested. That’s why playing against some of the top teams was good for us.”
The Chiefs entered this season with a lot of motivation. North Myrtle Beach lost to Aiken in last year’s state championship match, 3-2. Finishing as the state runner-up served to fuel the desire for the 2023 season.
“The way last year ended motivated our players to work really hard to improve in the offseason,” Sing said. “We’ve adopted the motto ‘it’s our turn’. We talk a lot about having a team effort. We need everyone to contribute, even our role players. We’re fortunate to have good depth and this team has come together well.”
Entering the final week of September, the Chiefs had won 20 of 21 contests, losing only to West Virginia state power Musselman High in an early season tournament.
Sing relies on strong leadership from five seniors, with a bevy of underclassmen working in various roles. Junior Olivia Borgman and sophomore Clara Cloninger lead the Chiefs in kills with 219 and 196, respectively. Each also has recorded 134 digs.
Senior Libero Kendal Scanlin leads the club with 307 defensive digs. Junior setter Bella Loeswick has 540 assists and 146 digs. Senior middle Railyn Fowler has 19 blocks and 79 kills.
Senior Carlin Sharpe also works in the starting rotation and has 69 kills in 21 contests.
The remaining seniors on the roster are Bella Bellamy and Chenel Gainey. Other juniors include Ellie Johnson, Kiera Olsen, Anna Hutton, Addison Leonard and Sidney Palmerico.
Rounding out the 2023 roster is sophomore Katelyn Powers and freshman Lilly Loeswick.
North Myrtle Beach won state championships under Sing in 2018 and 2019. Sing stepped away from the program for two seasons before returning as head coach last year.
While pleased with the season to date, Sing always looks for improvement.
“Like every coach, I can find areas where we need to be better,” he said. “It’s mostly just concentrating on being consistent. We need to eliminate errors and clean up some of the smaller details. As the coach, I can never relax until the season is over.”
The Chiefs will wrap up the region 6-AAAA schedule in mid-October, likely as the region champions. The final test before the state playoffs will be the Wando Invitational Tournament, another strong event with quality competition.
Among Lower State AAAA contenders in the playoffs will be Lucy Beckham and James Island, both of region seven.
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