Bishops roll to sweep against Edisto

The Bishop England girls volleyball team won in a landslide.

On a night when they tallied election votes in the Lowcountry, incumbent state champion Bishop England blasted Class AA challenger Edisto 25-6, 25-8, 25-9 Tuesday night at Father O'Brien Gymnasium.

The victory was bittersweet for the Bishops. Four seniors - Katie Cummings, Mary Crawford James, Rebecca Kerrison and Anna Kate Eskew -- played in their final home match.

"It was a little emotional," said Bishop England coach Cindy Baggott, whose team won its 48th straight postseason tournament match. "I was surprised that they brought it up in the locker room before the match. It hit them today. This is the last time they play in their gym. It was bittersweet."

The Bishops needed less than an hour to beat Edisto, which traveled 90 minutes to the Holy City.

The Bishops hit the road for the Lower State championship. They play Waccamaw, a 3-2 winner over previously unbeaten Dillon. The winner of that match will advance to Saturday's state championship at White Knoll High School.

"Ideally, you'd like to be at home, Baggott said of the Lower State championship. "We've never played either of those schools on the road. It's not like Hanahan last year when you knew what to expect."

Cummings had 29 assists Tuesday night, while Rebecca Kerrison tallied 20 digs. Samantha Celek and James both had seven kills.

The Bishops are two victories away from 10 straight state titles. But the girls were focused only on the task at hand Tuesday.

"They're not dwelling on it," Baggott said. "They were really excited tonight and remained focused. You cannot make mistakes and advance to the state championship. You have to cut back unforced errors. You're going to have errors. I guess that's why they have 25 points (in a game). You just have to keep them to a minimum."