Bishops continue torrid run
By Philip Bowman
The Bishop England volleyball team's amazing run of postseason success continued Wednesday night as the Bishops picked up a 25-8, 25-8, 25-11 Class AA playoff victory over the Hanahan Hawks at Father O'Brien Gymnasium.
It was the Bishops' 47th consecutive playoff victory as they aim for their 10th straight state title.
The Bishops' last playoff loss came in October 1999, when Gilbert beat the Bishops in the Lower State championship. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the Bishops' playoff success is how dominant they have been.
Coach Cindy Baggott checked the record books after the victory and said the Bishops have swept every match during the stretch except for the Nov. 6, 2004 state championship, when the Bishops needed four games to beat Chapman to claim the state title.
"I didn't realize the streak was that long," said Baggott, who is in her third year as the head coach. "That's amazing. That's remarkable. I said it before and I'll say it again: I don't think people realize how much it takes to win a state championship. Every year, it's a different chemistry, a different set of girls on the court. So it's a lot harder and takes a lot more work than people realize. I think in the long run, our girls get a little short-changed because people don't realize what it takes."
Wednesday night, the Bishops got solid play from Katie Cummings, who recorded 40 assists against the Hawks. Becca Kerrison tallied 17 digs, while C.C. Deas and Mary Crawford James both recorded 12 kills.
"We were concerned about staying focused tonight and speeding our offense up," Baggott said. "Our plan tonight was to keep them off guard with our offense. Our focus was to serve aggressively and run our offense."
The Bishops resume tournament play Tuesday with a home match against the winner of the Edisto-Marion match. Gilbert looms on the horizon in a possible rematch of last year's state championship.
"That's who we played last year, and I've heard they're hungry to get back there. I've heard about how they want to play us again. We were the only team to beat them last year, and it was a hard pill to swallow since we beat them in three games."
Reach Philip M. Bowman at pbowman@postandcourier.com or at 937-5592.
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