Ayden-Grifton, ranked No. 1, lost to No. 5 Midway in the fifth set on Saturday night. Midway made a comeback after being down 2-1 in sets. This victory secures Midway’s spot in the regional round of the NCHSAA championship.

In the initial game, Ayden-Grifton gained an early advantage by applying intense pressure, causing Midway to call a timeout when they trailed 11-3.

Ayden Grifton increased their advantage to 19-13, inching closer to winning the initial set. Midway found their footing and went on a 5-0 streak, narrowing the Chargers’ lead to only one point at 19-18. Eventually, Midway took control with a score of 24-23 in the first set and secured the win with a close final score of 25-23.

Ayden-Grifton recognized the need to elevate their performance against Midway and promptly took a 7-2 lead after the initial break. Despite Midway’s determination to catch up, they were only able to reduce the Chargers’ lead to four points at 21-17.

Following the timeout, Midway was limited to only two additional points while Ayden-Grifton bounced back and secured the win in set two with a score of 25-19.

The third set continued to feature a competition between the two teams. At the intermission, Ayden-Grifton was in the lead with a score of 16-14. Some mistakes by the Raiders allowed the Chargers to gain a larger advantage with a score of 20-14.

In the third set, Ayden-Grifton was leading Midway with a score of 25-17, giving them a 2-1 overall lead.

In the following two sets, Midway displayed determination. They gained the upper hand in the fourth set, leading Ayden-Grifton 21-18. The Raiders did not lose confidence even after the Chargers called a timeout. In the end, Midway secured a 25-19 victory in the fourth set, causing a fifth set to be played.

Ayden-Grifton took an initial lead of 5-3 by putting a lot of pressure on Midway. However, the timeout allowed Midway to regroup and Ayden-Grifton was unable to regain the lead for the remainder of the set.

The second timeout for Ayden-Grifton was called when they were trailing 11-7, and they subsequently called another timeout while still behind 11-7.

Midway secured victory with a final score of 15-8.

In the regional championship match, No. 5 Midway will compete against the victorious team from the match between No. 6 Seaforth and No. 2 Camden County.

Source: highschoolot.com