Millbrook and Wakefield Volleyball entered Monday night's match in a virtual tie for 5th place in the Cap-8 Conference. Not only were they jockeying for position in the conference but, HighSchoolOT.com had them in a tie for one of the final spots in their 4A State Playoff brackets. The Wolverines have long been a powerhouse in the area but it had been the Wildcats who took the last two matches, Monday night had a little bit of everything, including senior night ceremonies that honor Megan Alvey, Madison Wrenn, AC Riggins and Caitlyn Stallings, along with managers Olivia and Vanessa Merritt.
It was Wakefield that would have their way with the Wildcats early. Allie Dodge and Ade Owokoniran helped the Wolverines to a 6-0 first set lead. Owokoniran is a 6'2 sophomore that is in the top 5 of most statistical categories in the conference. Despite the strong play in the first set, Millbrook would hold her in check as she only registered one solo block and 9 kills. Millbrook would make a first set come back before falling just short, 25-20.
After dropping the first set, Coach Dickens' group turned things up a notch and cruised through the next three sets. Madison Wrenn would serve up a pair of aces in the second set as part of a team leading 5 on the night. She wasn't the only senior that would make strong contributions to the score sheet. The Wildcats' recent success can be credited to a change in the rotation on the court. Over the course of the last three weeks, Megan Alvey has made the switch to Libero and it has paid off, as she came through with 46 digs, which is a season high for any girl on the team, passing her 43 digs set last Thursday at Broughton. The senior success led to a second set win, 25-19 to tie things up at 1-1.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, a pair of underclassmen also had big nights for Millbrook. Sophomore, Taylor Rebne continued her strong play with a team high 17 kills, and Freshman, Arianna Rosario posted one of her best statistical nights of the season by recording a career high 5 kills. The strong play of the Wildcats led them to a second set win, 25-20 to give Millbrook a 2-1 lead.
Rebne's 17 kills led a very well-balanced Millbrook attack on Monday night. Wrenn added 6 kills, Sonia Wrobel also came through with 6 kills and her team leading 25th/26th blocks, Rosario's 5 kills were closely followed by Alvey's 4, and Shoun/Fiorini's 1. Morgan Fiorini's kill was one of very few for the Wildcats that she didn't set up. The junior defensive specialist is on an extremely torrid pace when it comes to recording assists. This strong play started last time the Wildcats and Wolverines squared off when she had 24 assists in a 3-2 win. Since that night, she has averaged 24.5 assists per game including a career high 43 against Enloe and a team high 34 against Wakefield on Monday night. She has now ventured into the Top 5 in Cap-8 assists despite missing all of non-conference play with an injury and only posting a combined 4 assists over her first two games back from that injury. The strong play up and down the Millbrook lineup help them rallied from dropping their first set to defeat Wakefield 3-1 after a 25-18 third set win.
With the win, Millbrook finishes the regular season with an 11-12 record, 6-8 in the Cap-8 conference. That record gave them sole possession of 5th place in the Cap-8 and the Wildcats will report a 22-game record of 11-11 to the NCHSAA for playoff seeding. Last season, Millbrook entered the playoffs as a #31 seed with an 8-9 record. At the moment, HighSchoolOT.com has projected this year's team as a #29 seed in the tournament, scheduled to travel to #4 seed Jack Britt in Fayetteville. The official brackets will be released on Thursday and the first round of play will begin on Saturday. If Millbrook indeed qualifies for the state playoffs, it will make it six straight years of playoff berth for the Wildcats. That run includes a 3rd Round appearance in 2013 when they fell to the eventual state champions in Wakefield. For more information, follow Millbrook Volleyball on Twitter at @mhswildcatvball.