Polk County Middle’s unbeaten run came to an end Monday, but the Wolverines remain very much in the middle of the Blue Ridge Conference East Division race.
Rugby Middle handed Polk its first loss of the season, taking a 25-20, 19-25, 15-12 victory at Polk Middle.
Rugby claimed the opening set before Polk answered with a 25-19 victory in the second to force a deciding set. The third stayed close, but the Raiders prevailed 15-12 to improve to 6-2.
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“I think there were a lot of nerves in the first set. We had several uncharacteristic mistakes,” said Polk Middle head coach Kenny Hall. “Izzy (Irwin) went on a tear in the second set which gave us a big cushion to work with.
“The third set was just going to come down to who could make the plays at the end, and today it was them.”
The loss dropped Polk Middle to 8-1 and left the Wolverines tied with Brevard Middle for first place in the East Division. Rugby sits one game behind the co-leaders in third. Polk still has an opportunity to win the division outright.
Polk’s JV team provided a close win of its own, edging Rugby 25-23. With the score tied at 23, Polk regained the serve and Miroslava Castillo-Ibarra served the final two points to finish the victory.
Polk Middle is scheduled to travel to Apple Valley Middle on Wednesday.
