Barker, Ring place fifth in state

APEX — In the inaugural beach volleyball season at West Stokes, the duo of Cameron Ring and Presley Barker finished tied for fifth in the state at the N.C. Beach Volleyball State Championships at Southern Sand Volleyball courts in Apex.

Twenty-one teams qualified for the tournament with Reagan High School winning the state championship. The Wildcats routinely practiced on the Raiders’ sand courts this season.

Barker and Ring placed second in pool play with a win over Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technology’s Grace Miles and Lauren Otts. The Wildcats barely escaped the duo 28-26.

The Wildcats played Cary Academy’s Hanorah Alapati and Riya Bhatnagar and lost 28-23 in their next game.

In the playoff round, the Cats were paired against Alapati and Bhatnagar again. This time, Ring and Barker took care of the pair 28-21 and advanced to the next round.

The West duo played West Forsyth’s Hadley Lichty and Aurora Rosa. The Wildcats fell 28-9 and settled for a tie with fifth place in the standings. The Titans duo placed second behind Northwest Guilford’s Morgan Lowman and Ava Toland.