It was on the long, triumphant bus ride home from North Myrtle Beach that a state championship match felt like it was on the horizon for the Aiken High volleyball team.
The Hornets, who last played for a title in 2016 when they beat Myrtle Beach, had just made the 200-plus mile drive to the coast and come away victorious. Another tall task awaited in the Class AAAA Lower State final against defending state champion Hilton Head Island, but it was starting to sink in that the Hornets could play for it all.
“That would probably be after the third round of the playoffs when we went to North Myrtle Beach,” junior outside hitter Natalie Bland said at Wednesday’s state championship press conference. “I remember on the bus ride home, everyone was cheering and we were all dancing and laughing, and I think that’s when we all kind of knew, wow, we’re gonna do this. We’re gonna get there.”
They’ve made it there, and all that stands between Aiken and a third state title is perennial Upper State powerhouse Pickens. The two will square off at 6 p.m. Saturday at Dreher High School in Columbia.
“Pickens has been a model of consistency in South Carolina,” said Hornets head coach Jeremy Rinder. “We know they’re well-coached, and we know they play great defense and have big swings. When you look at them, you’re not going to see a lot of weakness there. We’re excited for the opportunity. We’re excited for the chance and the challenge that we know we have facing us on Saturday.”
This is Pickens’ (28-3) fifth consecutive appearance in the state championship match, and the Blue Flame came away empty-handed in each of the previous four. That stretch started in 2017 when the Blue Flame beat the Hornets for the Upper State title, repaying the favor from the year before.