First Flight One Win Away From Outright Northeastern Coastal Conference Regular-Season Championship

Written by Christian Bateman

First Flight is one win away from claiming the Northeastern Coastal Conference regular-season championship outright, and the Nighthawks are playing their best volleyball at the perfect time.

Riding a nine-match winning streak, First Flight traveled to Currituck County on Tuesday night with a chance to take control of the conference race. The Nighthawks delivered, sweeping the Knights 3-0 in a hard-fought road victory. The win marked First Flight’s first sweep of Currituck since October 15, 2024.

After overcoming an early deficit to take the opening set 28-26, the Nighthawks won the second set 25-18 before closing out the match with a 25-21 victory in the third.

Last season, Currituck stood in the way of First Flight capturing the conference championship outright. Now, the Nighthawks have an opportunity to finish the job and potentially enter senior night with a perfect 10-0 conference record.

“It is such a big opportunity. I am glad to see how much our girls really care about our program and how our girls just brought more energy on the road. It is great,” First Flight head coach Josalyn Felts said after the win.

Nighthawks Rally to Take Control

Currituck came out attacking on the outside in the opening set, building a commanding 22-14 advantage. First Flight refused to back down, battling its way back into the set. Ashlyn Hux and McKenzie Dexter delivered back-to-back kills to complete the comeback and give the Nighthawks a 1-0 lead.

The momentum carried into the second set. After building an 18-15 advantage, First Flight closed on a 7-3 run to take control of the match. An ace from Felts and crucial blocking at the net helped the Nighthawks create separation and move within one set of completing the sweep.

First Flight continued to apply pressure offensively, placing attacks into the corners and forcing Currituck to defend. Contributions from the bench also helped the Nighthawks maintain their energy throughout the match.

“They come off the bench, and they are ready to be on fire for their teammates. It is just great to see the energy they have for our team,” Felts said.

First Flight Finishes the Job

The third set remained competitive until the closing points. Holding a 20-18 advantage, First Flight leaned on its presence at the net to disrupt Currituck’s attack and maintain control.

The Nighthawks closed out the set 25-21, completing the sweep and moving one step closer to an outright conference championship.

With the postseason approaching, Felts made it clear that her team is not satisfied with its current success.

“We are going to keep it rolling. We are going to keep showing up better every day going into playoffs, and we are going to come after it even harder tomorrow,” Felts said.

Championship Opportunity Awaits

Currituck will travel to Kill Devil Hills on Wednesday night to face First Flight, with the Knights looking to earn a share of the Northeastern Coastal Conference regular-season championship.

For the Nighthawks, the stakes are simple: win, and the outright conference title is theirs. The victory would also give First Flight’s senior class an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishment on senior night.

With a nine-match winning streak and a 3-0 road sweep of a conference rival, First Flight has positioned itself for a memorable finish to the regular season.

The NCHSAA volleyball playoff brackets are scheduled to be released Thursday, with current projections pointing toward First Flight hosting a first-round playoff match.

Before turning its attention to the postseason, the Nighthawks have one more opportunity to finish their conference campaign on top.