The road back to the state tournament seemed very promising at the start of the season for the Greenbrier West volleyball team.
After all, head coach Cindy Nutter returned a veteran group that knew the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center floor very well. Add in a dynamic freshman and it was easy to see why the Cavaliers were the Class A Region 3 favorites.
Saturday night the Cavaliers lived up to that lofty status by lifting the Region 3 championship plaque with wins over James Monroe and Charleston Catholic.
While the end result may have met expectations, the road to the regional championship was rocky and rough as a backwoods West Virginia dirt road.
“It has been utter chaos the entire season. We had two girls test positive for Covid and we had multiple quarantine periods,” Nutter said. “We eventually lost (freshman) Pressley Treadway to a medical issue. We also had injuries and other illnesses.”
In a sport where momentum and consistency are key components to success, the Cavaliers seemed to be stuck in the mud at times.
“I had girls call me an hour before the game and say they couldn’t make it because they were not feeling good,” Nutter said. “We would practice one thing thinking we would have certain girls out. Then the next day, I would have another girl out.”
The day to day struggle with so many unknowns took its toll on Nutter’s girls.
“It has not been easy. I know it has been stressful for them with players out and them not knowing what we are going to do. I told them we would work it out,” Nutter said. “As long as I have six girls to play, we will work it out.”
At a time when they could have folded the tent, the Cavaliers showed their metal in the face of adversity.
“They have been really resilient. No matter what has been thrown at them, they have stepped up and done what I ask them to do,” Nutter said. “Although we had to move girls around so much, they have actually grown as players. They have had to play positions they have never played before and do things they had never done.”
“I had a libero hitting right side and she had never been on the front line,” Nutter continued. “I had my setter hitting. She would set on back row and hit when she was on the front row. I had a 5-foot-2 hitter on the front row. She told me I can’t block because I can barely reach the top of the net.”
After mowing through the competition in sectional play, Greenbrier West had to win its opening regional match to secure a spot in the state tournament. The regional match against James Monroe was a microcosm of the season for the Cavaliers.
What appeared to be an easy victory in the best-of-five match turned into a fierce battle that went five sets.
The Cavaliers came out on fire and bested the Mavericks convincingly, 25-8.
“They got a little too relaxed and James Monroe got really warmed up. They are a really good team,” Nutter said. They were the only single-A team we played that had beat us this year.”
James Monroe answered with its own lopsided win in set two before the two teams split sets three and four.
With its season on the line, the Cavaliers closed out the match with a 15-4 win.
The focus now according to Nutter is for her team to take the state tournament one match at a time. That begins Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. against Gilmer County.
“They are a solid team all the way around. They have a good libero and some really good blockers,” Nutter said. “As long as we are hitting the ball the way we are supposed to, moving our feet the way we are supposed to, and hitting our serves, I feel confident.”
