Marvin Ridge rolls over Cox Mill, heads back to NCHSAA volleyball state final
A state championship defeat a year ago has motivated Marvin Ridge High’s volleyball team all season long.
So much so that the Mavericks still aren’t satisfied after an impressive Western N.C. title victory on Tuesday.
Facing a program that had eliminated them two years ago in the Western N.C. 4A semifinals, Marvin Ridge delighted a large home crowd in a 3-0 win over Cox Mill by scores of 25-7, 25-9, 25-13.
In the first year of major N.C. High School Athletic Association realignment, this year’s meeting was for N.C. Class 7A Western title.
“We had so many girls that were on that court and on that team and we lost two sets 26-24,” Marvin Ridge coach Brook Hammers said of last year’s 3-1 loss to Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons by a slim 11-25, 25-22, 24-26, 24-26 margin.
“That was hard,” Hammers said. “So the state championship has always been on the calendar but we’ve had the approach of ‘one game at a time.’ So we can’t get to the championship on the 31st if we can’t do what we’ve been doing since (the July 31 start of this season’s practice).”
Three additional Observer-area teams advanced to the championship round Tuesday:
— In 2A, Community School of Davidson (27-5) beat Cornerstone Charter 3-1 to advance to Saturday’s championship game in Raleigh. Community School will play Perquimans (28-3) at 11 a.m. in Reynolds Coliseum. The Spartans had a tough battle Tuesday night, winning the opening set 25-23 before Cornerstone Charter evened the match with a 25-21 victory. Community School of Davidson then took the next two sets 25-18 and 25-23 to close out the match.
— In 3A, Pine Lake Prep (20-4) beat Draughn 3-0 to advance to Saturdays’ 1:30 p.m. final in Raleigh against Ayden-Grifton (26-7). Pine Lake Prep has lost one set in the playoffs and has won four straight. The Pride swept Tuesday’s match by set scores of 25-15, 25-18 and 25-16.
— In 4A, Lake Norman Charter (29-3) beat South Rowan 3-0 to advance to Friday’s 5 p.m. against Uwharrie Charter (28-3) at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Lake Norman Charter has won 24 straight games. The Knights had few problems Tuesday night, rolling to victory by scores of 25-10, 25-8 and 25-13.
Marvin Ridge will face Greenville’s D.H. Conley (26-2) in the state final, and the Mavericks can only hope for as good of a start as they got in Tuesday’s semifinal.
Marvin Ridge never trailed Cox Mill (27-2) in any set and were tied only at 1-1 in the second set.
In fact, the Mavericks have been rolling since suffering losses to Cardinal Gibbons (3-2) and Class 8A finalist Cary Green Level (3-0) in an early-season tournament at Green Level on Sept. 6.
Tuesday’s victory extended Marvin Ridge’s winning streak to 20.
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Natalie Unkrich, Marvin Ridge: The senior had 10 service points and 19 kills to lead the Mavericks.
Jamie Carnes, Marvin Ridge: The sophomore had 10 service points and 10 kills.
Zoe Williams, Cox Mill: The sophomore had five service points and four kills to lead the Chargers.
NOTABLE
— Both schools have advanced to the playoffs every year since they opened in 2007 (Marvin Ridge) and 2009 (Cox Mill).
— Marvin Ridge will play in its third state championship match. The Mavericks are 1-1 in two previous trips.
— Marvin Ridge now has 15 20-win seasons, 15 regular-season league titles and 11 tournament titles. Cox Mill is 1-2 in state title matches — a win in 2016 with losses in 2020-21 and 2023 — along with eight 20-win seasons.
— Each team is likely to remain strong as Marvin Ridge has only four seniors and Cox Mill six.
— Of Marvin Ridge’s seniors, Unkrich (Lehigh) and Jillian Young (Flagler) are committed to play collegiately.
THEY SAID IT
“These girls know what the expectations are and they’ve done an exceptional job of executing that.” — Marvin Ridge coach Brook Hammers.
Girls’ volleyball results, schedule
CLASS 8A
Tuesday’s semifinals
West
West Forsyth 3, Jordan 0
East
Green Level 3, Green Hope 0
Friday’s state finals
(at Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh)
West Forsyth (23-5) vs. Green Level (27-0), 2:30 p.m.
CLASS 7A
Tuesday’s semifinals
West
Marvin Ridge 3, Cox Mill 0
East
D.H. Conley 3, Cardinal Gibbons 2
Friday’s state finals
(at Lawrence Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem)
Marvin Ridge (27-2) vs. D.H. Conley (26-2), 2:30 p.m.
CLASS 6A
Tuesday’s semifinals
West
Watauga 3, Kings Mountain 2
East
J.H. Rose 3, Gray’s Creek 0
Saturday’s state finals
(at Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh)
Watauga (27-1) vs. J.H. Rose (23-5), 4 p.m.
CLASS 5A
Tuesday’s semifinals
West
Hickory 3, Jesse Carson 1
East
Seaforth 3, Person 2
Friday’s state finals
(at Lawrence Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem)
Hickory (34-3) vs. Seaforth (19-8), 7:30 p.m.
CLASS 4A
Tuesday’s semifinals
West
Lake Norman Charter 3, South Rowan 0
East
Uwharrie Charter 3, Randleman 0
Friday’s state finals
(at Lawrence Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem)
Lake Norman Charter (29-3) vs. Uwharrie Charter (28-3), 5 p.m.
CLASS 3A
West
Pine Lake Prep 3, Draughn 0
East
Ayden-Grifton 3, Midway 0
Saturday’s state finals
(at Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh)
Pine Lake Prep (20-4) vs. Ayden-Grifton (26-7), 1:30 p.m.
CLASS 2A
West
Community School of Davidson 3, Cornerstone Charter 1
East
Perquimans 3, Holmes 1
Saturday’s state finals
(at Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh)
Community School of Davidson (27-5) vs. Perquimans (28-3), 11 a.m.
CLASS 1A
West
Leadership Academy 3, Clover Garden 1
East
Falls Lake Academy 3, Woods Charter 0
Saturday’s state finals
(at Lawrence Joel Coliseum, Winston-Salem)
Leadership Academy (22-7) vs. Falls Lake Academy (26-4), noon
Girls’ tennis results, schedule
CLASS 8A
Friday’s state finals
(at Burlington Tennis Center)
Myers Park (20-0) vs. Hoggard (15-0), 9 a.m.
CLASS 7A
Wednesday’s semifinals (weather permitting)
West
Ballantyne Ridge (16-4) at Page (15-1)
East
New Hanover (17-1) at Cardinal Gibbons (16-2)
Friday’s state finals
(at Burlington Tennis Center)
Ballantyne Ridge/Page vs. New Hanover/.Cardinal Gibbons, noon
CLASS 6A
Tuesday’s semifinal
West
Charlotte Catholic def. Watauga 5-2
Wednesday’s semifinal (weather permitting)
East
East Chapel Hill (15-3) at Terry Sanford (14-3)
Saturday’s state finals
(at Burlington Tennis Center)
Charlotte Catholic (26-1) vs. East Chapel Hill/Terry Sanford, 9 a.m.
CLASS 5A
Wednesday’s semifinals (weather permitting)
West
Hickory (11-4) at East Lincoln (18-2)
East
Seaforth (15-7) at Durham School of Arts (16-8)
Friday’s state finals
(at Burlington Tennis Center)
Hickory/East Lincoln vs. Seaforth/Durham School of Arts, noon
CLASS 4A
Wednesday’s semifinals (weather permitting)
West
Lincoln Charter (15-4) at Lake Norman Charter (12-3)
East
Salisbury (17-2) at Carrboro (23-1)
Saturday’s state finals
(at Burlington Tennis Center)
Salisbury/Carrboro vs. Lincoln Charter/Lake Norman Charter, noon
CLASS 3A
Wednesday’s semifinals (weather permitting)
West
Hendersonville (12-2) at Pine Lake Prep (12-2)
East
N.C. School of Science & Math/Durham (13-2) at Greene Central (15-3)
Saturday’s state finals
(at Burlington Tennis Center)
Hendersonville/Pine Lake Prep vs. N.C. School of Science & Math/Greene Central, noon
CLASS 2A
Tuesday’s semifinal
West
East Wilkes def. Highland Tech 6-0
Wednesday’s semifinal (weather permitting)
East
Manteo (19-0) at Research Triangle (18-0)
Saturday’s state finals
(at Burlington Tennis Center)
East Wilkes (24-1) vs. Manteo/Research Triangle, 9 a.m.
CLASS 1A
Saturday’s state finals
(at Burlington Tennis Center)
N.C. School of Science & Math/Morganton (10-0) vs. Bear Grass Charter (10-10), noon
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 9:44 PM.