By By BRIAN HAINES, Brian@wdnweb.com, Sports Writer
The NCHSAA 1-A volleyball playoffs are set to start on Saturday and will feature several area teams. Riverside capped off a fantastic regular season by grabbing a No. 1 seed, while Mattamuskeet scored a No. 2 seed and Creswell garnered a No. 3 seed. South Creek pulled down a No. 4 seed, while both Northside and Southside slipped into the postseason with wild card births.
The Knights have been a machine all season as they split the Four Rivers Conference title with Perquimans with an 18-2 record and will host wild card winner Kipp Pride (6-12, Tar Roanoke Conference) on Saturday ( If Riverside wins it will host the winner of the Creswell-North Edgecombe battle.
Creswell (Tideland Conference) compiled a 6-7 record to earn a No. 3 seed and will travel to take on North Edgecombe (Tar Roanoke), who ended its regular season with an 11-8 record en route to a No. 2 seed.
One of the better matchups in the East bracket is No. 4 South Creek (12-9) at No. 1 Gates County (Tar Roanoke). The Barons finished the year with a spectacular 19-2 record to grab a top seed. The winner of that contest will move on to play the winner of the No. 2 Perquimans-No. 4 Northampton-East matchup.
Mattamuskeet put forth a solid regular season and was able to lock up a No. 2 seed, but will face a tough draw as the Lakers will host No. 3 Manteo (12-8, Four Rivers).
Whoever survives that battle will face the winner of the Northside-Rosewood contest. Northside (Four Rivers Conference) ended the regular season with a 10-11 record to grab a wild card, while Rosewood, the No. 1 seed from the Carolina Conference, finished the regular season with an 18-4 record.
Southside is facing a steep challenge as well, the Seahawks (Four Rivers Conference) ended the regular season a game under .500 with a 9-10 record and will travel to face Pender (24-2), the No. 1 seed from the Tri-County Conference.