The North Rowan Cavaliers are breathing a little easier this week.

Last year at this time, Tricia Hester’s team was in second place in the 2A Central Carolina Conference heading into the league tournament. The Cavs also stand in second this year, but don’t have a postseason spot on the line — this year the CCC gets three teams in the state playoffs.

“It’s nice to know we’re definitely in the playoffs,”said Hester, whose team was bounced from the playoffs last year in a tournament upset that moved them down to third place. High Point Central is the team on the bubble this year.

Hester’s team opens the tournament tonight against Lexington, then would play the High Point/Salisbury winner Wednesday. First-place Ledford and tourney host East Davidson should be waiting in Thursday’s championship match.

“High Point beat us in five games the last time we played so we’re hoping to get a little revenge,”Hester said. “Ledford, you always want to beat the top team going into the playoffs, it makes your players believe. We’ve still got some motivation left.”

waiting game: Even if the Cavaliers play in Thursday’s title game, a long layoff awaits before the 2A playoffs begin.

North’s playoff opponent is unknown, but the CCC’s No. 2 seed likely would play away in the first round against a team from the western part of the state. But it’s not “who” that concerns Hester, it’s when. The 2A playoffs don’t start until the last week of October.

“Idon’t like it, we’re not going to be in game situations for about 10 days,”Hester said. “That’s a long time to go.”

Sandy Basinger could do without surprises of this magnitude.

The Mustang volleyball team was banking on four playoff spots for teams from the 3ASouth Piedmont Conference but found out late last week that the league gets only three.

Guess who’s No. 4?

“We have to win the rest of our matches to go,”Basinger said. “It’s very realistic. If the team I’ve seen in the last two weeks shows up, we’re good to go. If the team from yesterday shows up then we might be staying at the house.”

East Rowan cranked out two wins in three matches last week, losing only to league No. 1 Northwest Cabarrus. In that five-game battle, Emily Rich scored 30 kills and nine blocks and Christin Ingold had 35 assists, but the Mustangs came up just short.

A day later East beat North Rowan in five games behind Julie Alexander’s nine points, five blocks and five kills. Kannapolis proved an easier foe Thursday as East rolled in three.

That momentum crumbled Monday in a loss to 1A West Davidson, but Basinger said her team can use the defeat as a building block. East’s playoff run starts tonight at Concord, goes to Sun Valley Thursday and ends next Tuesday with a home match against Concord.

Northwest andCentral Cabarrus have the top two postseason berths secured. East is battling Sun Valley for third.

“I told them it would be the first time in a very, very long time that we haven’t made the state playoffs. I think these guys are too good to be sitting at home,”Basinger said. “They care enough about it to do what they have to do to win.”

The Raiders have advanced to the second round of the 4ACentral Piedmont Conference tournament one time in the eight years Wanda Watts has led the team.

Agrudge match tonight will determine if South makes that two times.

Davie County and South Rowan (5-13 overall, 1-7 CPC) battle for the third time when they open the CPC tournament at West Forsyth. South claimed a thrilling five-game win on its home court in the first meeting, then Davie got even on its floor.

“We’re ready for them. The girls are wanting revenge,”Watts said. “Since we lost last, maybe we want it a little more.”

To get past Davie, the Raiders will turn to sophomore Brittney Gaddy and senior Jennifer Morgan. A big day at the net from that duo could make for a long day for Leo Brunelli’s War Eagles.

The winner of tonight’s match plays No. 1 seed R.J. Reynolds, which has the league’s top playoff seed secured. West Forsyth will earn the second postseason berth barring an upset in the tournament.

Without an SPCTournament, the Falcons’ season will wind down this week to a quiet close.

West Rowan plays Sun Valley, Piedmont and Central Cabarrus to end the season. With a 5-12 overall mark, the Falcons won’t make the playoffs.

Still, that last hope of a tournament upset helps keep a team’s spirits high, said head coach Susan Drye.

“At this point it would be helpful,”Drye said. “I still think it gives you a chance at the end to pull it out. You know you’re not completely out of it.”

This season marks the first time in several years the SPC won’t have a tournament. The league adopted a new regular-season schedule in which the conference teams meet twice.