BREVARD, N.C. – Polk County and Brevard volleyball hope to play for four state championships each season.

The 1A title match, 2A title match, and the two times they face each other.

For the first time since 2018, the Wolverines went on the road and claimed victory. Down late in the fifth set, Morgan Yoder sparked a comeback that sent Polk past the Lady Devils on their senior night.

Dating back to 2022, Brevard had won the previous six matches. Both programs now embark on the postseason to defend their 2023 state championships.

While the nail-biting match came down to the final moments, Polk’s opening punch was enough to put the Lady Devils on their heels for the entirety of the night.

Brevard was greeted with an instant 16-4 deficit in the opening set.

In only her third match back from injury, last year’s 1A state championship MVP Sophia Overholt made her presence felt right away. The senior racked up a handful of early kills and paired them with multiple aces to fuel a 25-12 first-set win.

Overholt’s unexpected return after a potentially season-ending injury in early September could be the jolt that Polk needs to navigate through a deep 1A west region. Especially with the target on the back that accompanies reigning champions.

Brevard was able to bounce back in the second frame. Middle blocker Emma Powell was getting her fingertips on anything that came her way. Late in the set, the ball found its way to Arden Arkansas who turned in her biggest swings of the night.

A runaway 25-16 second evened the match at 1-1.

The final three sets helped etch another legendary chapter into the epic Polk vs. Brevard series.

Mia Bradley dug the Wolverines out of an early third-set hole. Yoder even the frame at 15-15, but Claire Wilson instantly ripped the lead back to the home side.

Brevard broke a 21-21 tie when Powell crushed a kill, and Addison Worley added an ace. Yoder kickstarted the Polk comeback with a kill of her own to even the set at 24-24. Overholt downed a key ace, and Bradley ended the marathon at 29-27 to push the Wolverines ahead 2-1 in the match.

As the night wore on, Powell and Wilson rose to the occasion for the Lady Devils. They forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-22 win in the fourth.

Powell started the fifth with a block and kill to tie things at 2-2. The score leveled at 10-10 thanks to kills from Powell and Wilson.

Brevard seemingly had answers for every Polk attack. Wilson tied the fifth at 11, Adeline Schultz evened things at 12, Wilson downed a kill to make it 13-13 then dropped in an ace to put the Lady Devils in position to secure match point.

Down 14-13, Yoder landed a swing and secured an ace on the ensuing serve to spark a 2-0 run to put the Wolverines ahead 15-14.

From the left side, Bradley was able to claim match point at 16-14.

The win seals a 16-3 regular season for Polk. Brevard dropped to 16-4 with the defeat. Both sides finished 11-1 overall in conference play and secured the top seed from the league in their respective classifications.

Polk’s victory gave it enough of an RPI boost to be the 3-seed in the 1A west next week. At the latest RPI update, Brevard was unable to hold on to the top 2A west seed following the loss. McMichael and its 0.67543 total were just enough to jump up to the 1-seed.

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Source: highschoolot.com