Change is nothing new when it comes to high school athletics.
Normally change revolves around newcomers to the program and players lost to graduation.
While those two components are still very much in play, the newest change revolves around various sports making the move to the four-class system similar to basketball.
Volleyball is among the sports being divided into four classes, creating an entirely new landscape across the state, especially for the postseason.
Rivalries such as Beckley and Greenbrier East, along with James Monroe and Greenbrier West have highlighted the October push to the state tournament in the past, but that is no longer the case.
The Flying Eagles will play this year in Class AAAA, while the Spartans will compete in Class AAA. The ladies from Lindside make the move up to Class AA with their former rivals from Charmco remaining in Class A.
The postseason format will also see some modification with each region having two co-champions, also similar to the basketball format.
Volleyball is divided into four regions across the state, housing two separate sections within those regions. The regional pairings will consist of the section one winner hosting the section two runner-up. The section two champion will host the section one runner-up. The two winners move on to the state tournament.
Beckley advanced to the semifinal round of the Class AAA state tournament last year and will be a heavy favorite to make the AAAA elite eight field again this season.
Riverside and Oak Hill will now stand in the path of the Flying Eagles in section two play, while longtime powerhouse George Washington leads St. Albans and South Charleston over in section one.
On the statewide scene, Beckley will battle the likes of defending state champion Morgantown and Musselman which has won eight titles since 2010.
Region 3 in Class AAA consists of nine schools and will be a tough field to navigate for a trip to Charleston.
Shady Spring has been a strong player in Class AA, winning a state title in 2020 and finishing runner-up in three other trips to the title match. The Tigers move up to join Greenbrier East in section one, along with Independence, PikeView and Princeton.
Section two is led by Herbert Hoover which has made the Class AA state tourney semifinals each of the last three seasons. The Huskies will battle Nicholas County, Sissonville and Ripley for the sectional title.
The state champion could very well come from Region 3 this year with Bridgeport, Winfield and Wayne among the powers across the state.
James Monroe returns a very talented team that advanced to the Class A semifinals in 2023 and should be a serious player for the Class AA state title this year.
The Mavericks will need to navigate Summers County, Midland Trail and Liberty (R) in sectional play. On the other side of the region will be Bluefield, Mingo Central, Westside and Wyoming East.
There is no doubt that excitement is high in New Richmond as volleyball season rolls around. Wyoming East has been on the rise in recent years and has been agonizingly close to a state tournament berth each of the last two seasons. With young players now turning into veterans, a state tournament berth is definitely on the table.
However, making the state tournament and winning the title are two vastly different concepts in Class AA this year.
Oak Glen, Philip Barbour, Ritchie County and Williamstown are all among the double-A contenders.
The Golden Bears are the defending Class AA state champions and bring back several players to chase a repeat title. The Colts from Barbour County were runner-up last year to Oak Glen after winning the AA crown in 2021 and 2022. Williamstown flexed its muscle by capturing the last three Class A state titles, beating Ritchie County two of the last three years in the final match.
Greenbrier West has been a frequent visitor to the state volleyball tournament with seven straight appearances, but wins in the Capital City have eluded the Cavaliers.
Even though there are some key players to replace, Greenbrier West returns a strong roster and is a heavy favorite to make another trip to the big dance.
Meadow Bridge, Richwood and Webster County join West in section one, with Greater Beckley Christian, Montcalm, Mt. View and River View comprising section two.
Class A will be a bit of a mystery this year across the Mountain State with several former small school powers moving up in class.
East Hardy and Wirt County made the state tournament field last year, as did Pendleton County that stunned Buffalo, who is now in class AA, to advance to the semifinals. The Wildcats also made the 2021 state tournament field, while Wirt County topped East Hardy for the 2020 state title.
Competition for the 2024 volleyball season officially begins on Aug. 21 with sectional play running Oct. 28-31. Regional tournaments will be played Nov. 5-7 and the state tournament runs Nov. 12-14.
Class A and AA will play the state tournament quarterfinal and semifinal matches on Nov. 12 with Class AAA and AAAA contested on Nov. 13.
All state four state champions will be determined on Nov. 14 starting with Class A at 9 a.m. followed by AA, AAA and AAAA on a rolling schedule.
