The Eagles defeated Apex 3-0 in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs on Tuesday, advancing to the third round for the first time in school history. Enloe (22-3) had lost in the second round the past two seasons, to Lee County in 2007 and last year to Apex.

The senior-led Eagles came from behind in both the first and third games, but won 25-23 and 26-24 respectively. Enloe led the second game the entire way, cruising to a 25-16 victory.

“My girls were up to the challenge today,” said fourth-year Enloe head coach Branden Green. “They played together and not as individuals, and they executed the game plan perfectly. They knew they had to go one point at a time.”

Apex erased an 18-9 deficit in the opening game and led 23-22 before Enloe seniors Anna Moore and Elena Frac iced the game with successive kills.

Then it was déjà vu in the third game when the Cougars led 24-22 but watched Frac and Moore dominate again at the end. Frac finished the match with 15 kills, while Moore posted 11.

It was a tough defeat for the young Cougars (20-4), the Tri-Nine conference champion. Apex, which does not have a senior on the roster, had only lost to state powers Greenville Rose (twice) and Cardinal Gibbons.

“We got outplayed today,” said Apex head coach Nikki O’Connell, whose team fell last season to Rose in the Eastern finals. “Enloe made fewer errors than we did.”

“The girls worked hard all season and are a great group with good chemistry. We’re looking forward to all of them returning next year.”

Kris Harris paced the Cougars with 12 kills.

Enloe will host Broughton on Thursday in third round action. The Eagles took three games from their conference rivals this year, all by a 3-1 count. Broughton upset PAC-Six champ Person County 3-1 Tuesday in Roxboro.

Wake Forest-Rolesville comes from behind to win

Wake Forest-Rolesville rallied to win three straight sets to defeat Green Hope in the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A volleyball playoffs.

WF-R dropped the first two sets 25-20 and 25-21 but won the next three 25-22, 25-18 and 15-9.

"The first set we were flat and were playing atypically," Cougars coach Jenna Hinton said. "The second set was competitive, and in the third set we made some adjustments and were very consistent."

Karson Ratliff, a 6-foot-1 junior, had 18 kills, while Elizabeth James was successful on six of eight kill attempts.