‘I hurt for them.’ River Bluff volleyball falls to Dorman in title match
The River Bluff girls volleyball team pushed powerhouse Dorman to the limit in Saturday’s state championship match.
But the Cavaliers denied the Gators their first title with a 3-2 (26-28, 25-23, 25-13, 25-22, 15-13) victory in the Class 5A Division I championship match at Dreher High School.
“We have been resilient all year. I’m so proud of our seniors. We just battled,” River Bluff coach Bryan Piro said. “We are a player-led team. I hate it for them. I hurt for them. But they laid everything out there. Dorman is a good team. … 15-13 in a fifth set. I don’t know much better you can do. It was a heck of a match.”
The championship was Dorman’s third straight and 17th overall. The Cavaliers swept both volleyball championships this year, with the boys winning last week. The Cavalier girls are tied with Pickens for the moment for second-most titles in school history. Pickens won the 4A championship later on Saturday night.
“I thought River Bluff played an outstanding match, and I am not sure I can say the same for us,” Dorman coach Paula Kirkland said. “I have never seen us serve so bad, and I have been doing this for 45 years. That was the worse serving game I think I have ever been a part of. To be able to pull out a win when you miss that many serves is amazing.”
River Bluff was making its second championship appearance. The Gators lost to Dorman in four sets back in 2021 and were a set away from winning the championship this time around.
River Bluff finishes the season at 32-13. The Gators won the Region 4-5A championship and were the No. 2 seed in the 5A Division I Lower State playoffs.
River Bluff won at Wando, another of the state’s powerhouse programs, on Tuesday to earn its second championship appearance.
The Gators rallied from a 20-18 deficit in the first set to win 28-26. In the second set, the Gators held a 23-21 lead before the Cavaliers won the final four points to even the match.
River Bluff dominated the third set but trailed 15-7 in the fourth set. The Gators got within 15-13 before the Cavaliers pulled away to even the match and force a deciding fifth set.
The Gators led for some of the fifth set, including 8-7, before Dorman responded and finished the match by scoring eight of the final 13 points.
River Bluff played most of the final set without senior libero Meghan Tucker, who left the game with an injury.
“So proud of them,” Piro said. “Couldn’t ask for a better team. The seniors and leadership we have is second to none. The kids just played their tails off. We still are pretty young, and we are going to fight hard to get back.”
Caroline Tucker had 20 kills to lead River Bluff and Kris Kettering had 15. Alexis Jodie had 37 assists.
Reese Shugart led Dorman with 28 kills and Ramsey Larke Chastain had 34 assists.
SCHSL Volleyball Championships
Thursday
Class 5A Division II: Woodmont 3, North Myrtle Beach 2
Saturday
Class 2A: Philip Simmons 3, Landrum 0
Class 5A Division I: Dorman 3, River Bluff 2
Class A: Abbeville 3, Latta 1
Class 3A: Powdersville 3, Oceanside Collegiate 2
Class 4A: Pickens 3, Bishop England 0
This story was originally published November 8, 2025 at 5:27 PM.
