North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
The 2025 5A Division II Lower State Champion North Myrtle Beach Lady Chiefs pose for a photo after their 3-1 win over region rival Conway on Monday night.
By John Smithson
The NMB High School Lady Chiefs volleyball team capped off their run to today’s SCHSL state championship game with a 3-1 win over Conway at the high school gym on Monday.
The Chiefs and Tigers both brought their fans to cheer on two 6AAAAA region teams in the final match before a trip to Columbia. Conway had won seven matches in a row and had dispatched Myrtle Beach to earn a match with the Chiefs.
The Tigers stayed with the Chiefs in the first set, trailing 9-8. The Chiefs used five kills from Madison Johnson and led 10-8 before two kills by Clara Cloninger and Conway errors led to a 15-11 lead. After a Chiefs service error Lilly Loeswick hit three straight kills for an 18-12 lead.
The Chiefs closed out the set with Harlow Horton and Lilly Loeswick serving and Loeswick adding three more kills for a 25-14 first set win.
Conway battled back in the second set with three straight kills tying the Chiefs at 10-10 and then leading 16-15. The Chiefs took over with Johnson’s four kills and Loeswick and Cloninger’s kills during a six-point streak and a 25-18 second set win.
Conway quickly led 5-1 in the third set and coach Jenn Loeswick called timeout and briefly told her team to get their act together. The Chiefs came back to trail 12-10 with three Cloninger kills helping the rally. Eventually the Chiefs tied the score at 15-15 and the teams tied at 16,18, 21, 22, 23. Conway used a Chiefs attack error and final kill to win the third set 25-23.
The teams were tied 4-4 early in the fourth set, but the Chiefs took advantage of Conway errors, service aces by Kylee Rollings and Mikayla Altena for a 12-7 lead. The Chiefs finished off Conway with eight kills, the last two by Loeswick and Horton giving the Chiefs a 25-15 set win and 3-1 match and trip to Columbia for the state championship game.
Coach Jenn Loeswick reacted to the win as you might expect. “It feels great. It feels great. It’s a big goal, a big accomplishment to get through the season and play well enough in the playoffs, when everybody is playing their best volleyball. To win this and beat a bunch of really quality teams is really exciting. I am really proud of these kids,” Loeswick said after the match.
I also asked senior Clara Cloninger her feelings after playing her last match on her home court. “I really don’t have words. I am so happy. It could not have been better. And this team is just amazing. It was a full circle moment for me. I remember being in here when I was a freshman, same exact scenario and now I am standing here a senior and I’ll never play here again. It’s like I have taken it for granted the past couple of years but this year it really hit home. We have one more game to win now,” Cloninger said.
The Chiefs are in Columbia tonight for a match with Woodmont, 34-5 this year and fresh off a 3-2 win over Nation Ford.
