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COLUMBUS—Five of 2023’s eight state volleyball finalists will gather Saturday at Polk County High School for the preseason Foothills Showdown.

Defending 2A champion Brevard, defending 3A champion Kings Mountain, 1A runner-up Falls Lake Academy and 4A runner-up Cox Mill will join defending 1A champion Polk County for the event, which will begin at 9 a.m. Matches will be held on two courts throughout the day.

A number of outstanding individual players are slated to take part in the preseason event. Cox Mill features senior Ryan Hunter, who has verbally committed to play at Nebraska, as well as Louisville commit Jordyn Gray and Furman commit Kacie Moore. Falls Lake’s Kelcey Peterson has committed to play beach volleyball at Carson-Newman while Polk County’s Sophia Overholt has committed to play at USC Upstate.

Other players garnering all-state recognition last year include Polk County’s Morgan Yoder, Brevard’s Claire Wilson, Kings Mountain’s Camden Pasour and Falls Lake’s Gemma Ines.

Doors will open at 7:30 a.m., and admission is $10 per person. A lunch break will be held from 12 to 1 p.m.

Polk County will open the 2024 regular season on August 12 at A.C. Reynolds.