After a subtle stint off from league action, the top portion of Conference Carolinas got underway once again last week with more to come ahead. We’re in the back half of the schedule now for the conference, as Barton and King still have yet to lose to anyone besides each other. That sets up an interesting race for the league regular season crown, while plenty of seeding will be up in the air to surround the top for the Conference Carolinas quarterfinals in four weeks.
With new story-lines emerging and a new season of sorts in league play commencing, VolleyMob will be giving conference updates. Below is analysis as well as the weekly Conference Carolinas table, awards, matches of the week and power rankings:
CONFERENCE CAROLINAS TABLE:
| TEAM | CONF. | OVERALL |
| (RV) Barton | 11-0 | 14-6 |
| King | 9-1 | 13-5 |
| Mount Olive | 8-3 | 12-10 |
| North Greenville | 4-5 | 9-11 |
| Belmont Abbey | 5-7 | 7-14 |
| Emmanuel | 4-7 | 8-12 |
| Limestone | 3-7 | 6-14 |
| Erskine | 2-8 | 5-12 |
| Lees-McRae | 0-8 | 2-14 |
WEEKLY HONORS:
MATCHES OF THE WEEK:
- Mar. 23: North Greenville at (RV) Barton
- Mar. 23: Limestone at Mount Olive
- Mar. 24: North Greenville at Mount Olive
- Mar. 24: Limestone at (RV) Barton
- Mar. 24: King at Emmanuel
VOLLEYMOB CONFERENCE CAROLINAS POWER RANKINGS:
- Barton
- King
- Mount Olive
- North Greenville
- Emmanuel
- Belmont Abbey
- Limestone
- Erskine
- Lees-McRae
NINE IN A ROW
- (RV) Barton Bulldogs
Barton has collected nine consecutive victories, as are rolling heading into the last month of the season. They’ve got three matches to go at home and three on the road, with five of the six to finish out league play. The tricky part comes on April 3 (vs. Mount Olive) and April 6 (at King), which will truly present them their biggest hurdles to garnering the one seed for the conference tournament. Still, should they fall, that tournament comes in middle/late April. This time of year is about playing your best and staying healthy, and with nine straight victories the Bulldogs have one of those checked off and will hope for the other.
LEAGUE RACE BUSTER
- Mount Olive Trojans
Mount Olive still has to take on Barton and King this season – two matches they lost earlier in the year that combined with another could be their downfall for a league title. However, one thing they could accomplish with wins over either (besides moving up to the two-seed or hoping for a share of the title should Barton fall elsewhere) would be to put a wrench in the conference title/seeding race. They’ll have to step up their game as they’ve now lost five of their last seven matches after a hot start, but with those two matches – coming just four days apart – Mount Olive could either push King over the edge (with a loss and a win over Barton) or bury King (with a loss to Barton and a win over King). While the majority is up to those two, a team like Mount Olive still could have plenty to say once it’s all said and done, which would make them feel great about their chances in the league tournament.
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