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Polk County now knows against whom it will begin defense of its state 1A volleyball championship.

The Wolverines will host Highlands on Tuesday in the opening round of the 2024 1A playoffs. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released postseason pairings for all classes on Sunday.

The Wolverines (16-3) are the third seed in the 1A West bracket, with Cherokee earning the top seed and Highland Tech seeded second. If all teams advance, Polk County could potentially face road trips to both schools in the fourth and fifth rounds. If Polk wins, it would host at least the first three rounds.

Highlands finished the season with an 8-15 record and is the 30th seed in the 1A West bracket. The Highlanders shared the top spot in the Little Smoky Mountain Conference with Hiwassee Dam.

Highlands features four seniors on its roster –  Katie Earp, Karen Gomez, Aislynn Wyatt-Luck and Mallory Shriver.

The winner of Tuesday’s match will advance to Thursday’s second round to face either 14th seed Robbinsville or 19th seed Rosman. Polk County would host that match.