Volleyball: Gators Take Down Chapin in Straight Sets to Remain Undefeated in Region

It is still relatively early in region play, but Tuesday night's varsity volleyball matchup in Chapin featured two teams who entered the contest without a region blemish. The River Bluff Gators came in at 12-7 overall and 2-0 in region play, with region wins against White Knoll and Irmo. Across the net was the homestanding Chapin Eagles, who arrived at 12-1-1 and 2-0 in the region with region wins against Dutch Fork and Lexington. The stage was set for a possible 5-set showdown for the outright lead in a competitive Region 4-AAAAA.

The Gators must have missed that memo.

After winning three straight sets, River Bluff headed back home across the dam, having not only won every region match thus far but also having won every set.

Tuesday's sweep of Chapin puts River Bluff solidly atop the region standings with matches against Dutch Fork and Lexington remaining in the first half of region play.

Interestingly, the Gators have spread the wealth when it comes to stats, with different players stepping up as needed in different matches. The latest victory was fueled by Payton Capps' 10 kills. In the match before, Caroline Tucker led in that category. Before that, it was Karis Kettering.

One constant, however, has been Alexis Jodie. The senior recorded an amazing 25 assists against Chapin. She has dominated this category throughout her career, accumulating 428 assists in this season alone - good enough to be #6 in the state, #2 in AAAAA-Division 1, and top in Region 4-AAAAA. She is well on her way to amassing over 4000 assists in her 5 years as a varsity player at River Bluff.

River Bluff will look to the consistent play of Jodie and the continued focus on teamwork as they proceed through region play and look to the postseason.

The Gators will travel to Dutch Fork on Thursday. JV starts at 5:30, and varsity will follow around 7 pm.