ALBEMARLE — On Halloween night, the North Stanly volleyball team’s 2024 postseason came to a close in the Final Four regional semifinals.
Playing on the road in Mayodan, the sixth-seeded Comets (25-7) were knocked out of the 2A NCHSAA state playoffs as No. 1 seed McMichael pulled out a 3-1 home win. The Phoenix (28-2) won the first and second sets 25-20 before North surged back to win the third set 25-16.
However, McMichael went on to pull away for its victory, winning the fourth set 25-23.
Riding a 20-game winning streak, including four state playoff victories, it marked the Comets’ first loss since an Aug. 29 home matchup against Carson (27-6). North had previously won all ten of its Yadkin Valley Conference contests on the way to winning the YVC championship.
Last week’s playoff loss marked the final appearance in a Comet jersey for North seniors Shalyn Bell, Allie Morgan, Kylie Speight, and Olivia McDonald.
Before meeting up with McMichael for the fifth matchup of the state playoffs, the Comets had previously won 3-0 over No. 27 Walkertown (15-11) in the opening round and went on to top No. 22 North Surry (13-12) 3-0 and No. 3 Randleman (20-5) 3-0.
In the fourth round, North defeated the No. 7 Community School of Davidson Spartans (24-5) 3-2 at home.
The 2024 season was the third campaign for coach Daniel Galloway, who led the Comets to a first-place 10-0 YVC record (27-2 overall) last season; North finished this recent campaign with 77 sets won and 26 sets lost.
Bell and Galloway were both honored for their prestigious conference achievements, winning the awards for the YVC’s top performer and coach this season.
“Congratulations to our Player of the Year and Coach of the Year!” North Stanly Athletics posted online following the YVC honors.
Sophomore Emmy Talbert finished the season with a team-best 79 aces, placing her well within the top-100 in the state in that category.
“Huge congratulations to our incredible girl, Emmy Talbert,” the North Stanly Booster Club said in a social media post. “Finishing the year ranked 64th in the state for aces as just a sophomore is an amazing achievement! We are so proud of you, Emmy! The future is bright, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish next!”
Statistically, other team leaders included Speight (909 assists), Bell (491 kills, 0.376 hitting percentage), Aniston Talbert (45 blocks, 84 aces), and Landon Kimrey (550 receptions).