The number 3 was prominent Thursday night. 
Lexington played host to Round 3 of the Class 5A volleyball playoffs. To earn a 3rd straight Lower State final appearance, the Lady Wildcats had to defeat Region 5-5A rival White Knoll for the 3rd time this season.
The resurgent Lady Timberwolves were riding the confidence of back-to-back road playoff wins. They were are seeking a 3rd straight road win over a top-seeded team.
Instead, the Lady Wildcats advanced with their 3rd 3-set win (25-16, 25-14, 25-8) of the season over White Knoll.
Afterwards, Lexington head coach Eric Shick said he was very concerned about the Lady Timberwolves given their recent success against the higher seeds.
"We hadn't really been challenged the past 2-3 games, so we've got to really step up tonight and we did," he said.
Over than hour later, Lexington learned it would also see fellow Region 5-5A champion River Bluff for the 3rd time this season at home Tuesday. The Lady Gators rallied to defeat defending Lower State champion Wando in 5 sets to set up an all-Region 5-5A, Lexington School District 1 showdown with the Lady Wildcats for a shot at their first state title appearance Nov. 9 at home in The Swamp.
"These girls don’t have a quitters' mentality," River Bluff head coach Bryan Piro said. "After dropping the first set 29-31, with 3 opportunities to win that set our leaders stepped up in the huddle and really got them settled down and focused on what we needed to do. 
"Set 3, we looked flat and didn’t give our hitters many opportunities to connect, but found a way to get a little momentum towards the end of that set.  Set 4 was a back and forth match. Wando did take a 4 point lead 10-14, but after a timeout our girls just kept chipping away and we quickly found ourselves up 20-18 and pulled away from there.
"Set 5 we were able to get out to a quick lead and up 6-2. Wando cut it to within 2 before we took over. Our captains, Senior Abby Ullsperger and Junior Libero, Quinn Manley really stepped up tonight and showed their leadership. We got a huge night out of our senior outside hitter Lorna Stacherski who dominated tonight with 28 kills and 6 errors." 
Lexington and River Bluff split the 2 regular season meetings, with each team winning at home. The Lady Gators won the 1st meeting in 5 sets, while the Lady Wildcats took the rematch in straight sets 3-0 to earn homecourt advantage. The winner will face either Nation Ford or Dorman, who defeated the Lady Wildcats in its only other state final appearance in 2009, in the state final. 
Lexington (34-7) may enter the rubber match with the Lady Gators down a player. Junior setter/opposite hitter Katie Koon went down favoring her right knee after leaping to make a kill in the 3rd set. 
Shick said she would undergo X-rays to determine her status for Tuesday. 
The victories by Lexington and River Bluff improved the overall playoff record of Region 5-5A teams to 9-2. Both losses came at the hands of the Lady Wildcats. 
Despite the loss, 1st year White Knoll head coach Alexzandra Peckham beamed with pride reflectin on her team's rapid progress. She said the Lady Timberwolves entered the playoffs with a renewed confidence in their abilities and a better understanding of the game. 
"It's just the beginning, that's just the amazing part," said Peckham, who graduates only 4 seniors. "Honestly, to see what these girls can do when they have the love and support from the school, from themselves in general, their parents, everybody, it's just amazing to see what they truly have in them. This is all them. I'm excited to see what we can do next year. It's only 1 year."

NEW LOCATION FOR CLASS 5A 
LOWER STATE TENNIS FINAL
The S.C. High School League brackets originally had River Bluff playing host to Wando for the Class 5A Lower State tennis final.
Instead, a rule change regarding schools playing host to post-season matchups in consecutive years resulted in the contest being moved to Mount Pleasant at 6 pm Monday. River Bluff played host to Wando in last year's Class 5A Lower State final. 
The winner advances to the state final taking place Saturday at the Cayce Fitness and Tennis Center.