SALEMBURG–Number two seed East Columbus defeated three seed North Duplin 3-1 to advance to the championship game against top seed East Bladen.
The Gators (13-5) will face the Eagles today (Wednesday) for the championship.
East Columbus beat the Rebels by set scores 18-25, 25-20, 25-20, and 25-20. Maggie Brown led North Duplin (14-6) with nine kills in the loss. The Rebels will await the 2A playoff pairings for their next opponent.
The top-seeded Eagles downed fourth seeded West Columbus 3-1 in the other semifinal contest. East Bladen won by scores of 25-15, 25-13, 23-25, and 25-16. The Eagles (17-6) were led by Taylor Dowless with nine points and 17 kills while teammate Tenly Dowless added 11 points.
West Columbus falls to 5-13. They await the 2A pairings to be announced this weekend to see if they make the tournament. There are 48 berths in the 2A bracket and West Columbus is currently sitting at 48.
