Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

October looms and so does the toughest test of the season for Polk County’s volleyball program.

Maybe.

The Wolverines pushed past pesky R-S Central on Wednesday evening, downing the Hilltoppers 25-19, 25-20, 25-16 in a Mountain Foothills 7 Conference home match. Morgan Yoder had 13 kills and Mia Bradley had 11 kills to lead Polk to its third straight win.

The victory tuned up Polk County (13-3, 8-1) for this weekend’s Falcon Bash, a gathering at West Henderson and Rugby Middle School of eight of the top programs in the western half of the state. The Bash is slated to start Friday afternoon, though the impact of Hurricane Helene on the area could alter the tournament’s schedule as heavy rains and wind are expected in Western North Carolina on Thursday and Friday.

The eight teams in the Bash are divided into two pools, and Polk County is scheduled to face its poolmates on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, though it’s possible the tournament could shift to a one-day format on Saturday. The current slate for Polk, with pool matches at Rugby Middle:

Defending 3A state champion Kings Mountain (18-1) on Friday at 4:30 p.m

Cherokee (15-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s 1A state quarterfinal clash

Hickory (14-2) on Saturday at 10 a.m.

“It’s definitely going to test us and push us, but I think that’s where I see some of our best volleyball, when we get tested, when we’re getting pushed, when we play tough competition,” said Polk County head coach Molly Hill.

“I think we’re all really excited about it. By no means is it going to be easy, but these are the games that are fun and that make us better, and I’m really ready to see how the girls rise to the challenge.”

The top two teams in the pool will advance to face the top two teams from the other half of the field, which is equally solid:

Ashe County (15-1), currently the top-ranked team in the 3A West RPI

West Henderson (17-2)

Defending 2A state champion Brevard (13-3)

T.C. Roberson (13-5)

The remaining four teams will also meet in a consolation bracket.

The field has a combined record of 118-18 as of this writing and features three of the four defending state champions. T.C. Roberson and Hickory are the only teams not currently rated in the top four in their respective classes in RPI.

The tournament is the start of a challenging five-day stretch for Polk County, which next week will host Landrum (10-4) on Monday and Asheville Christian Academy (13-0) on Tuesday.

Polk County’s strength of schedule is already the highest for any 1A team in the state. That number will only rise over the next few days, but Hill said that should serve the Wolverines well as they enter postseason play.

“This is going to be beneficial for us no matter what,” she said. “I just think this level of play, with this kind of competition, is going to set you up for some kind of success and learning along the way.

“I love games like this. I’m always here for opportunities like this.”

Kylie Lewis added seven kills in Wednesday’s win, with Charley Dusenbury handing out 22 assists. Hayden Blackwell had 17 digs, with Bradley recording 15 digs andYoder and Akeela Cunningham each notching 12.