The scene looked a little bit odd inside the Woodrow Wilson gymnasium.
Tigers, Huskies and Grizzlies played as one, as did Flying Eagles, Patriots and Spartans. Rebels battled alongside Yellowjackets and Cavaliers, while Bruins, Mohigans and Indians also stood as one.
Sunday afternoon, some of the best seniors in the Mountain State gathered for some friendly competition at the North-South All-star Volleyball matches.
“I played in the North-South game in high school. It was a great honor then and it still is today,” Shady Spring head coach Kelly Williams said. “It is wonderful to see all of these familiar faces and find out where they are going to college and whether they will go on with their careers in volleyball or something else.”
“You always see the girls on the other side of the court and they are they in game-mode. This is a great event to get to know the girls better and appreciate them as people and not see them as opponents. It is just a wonderful atmosphere.”
The format for the day was one set to 30 points against the four teams that made up the other two classes.
The final event of the day was a best two-out-of three match between the two teams from the same class.
W.Va. State Volleyball Player of the Year Meg Williams from Shady Spring, the daughter of head coach Kelly Williams, was one of the many seniors that capped their stellar high school volleyball careers Sunday.
“It is definitely different playing in an event like this, but fun at the same time. It is great getting to know different people and learning how they play,” Meg Williams said.
While each team was there to have fun and get to know each other, the final matches of the day did have a little more emphasis on winning the in-class battle.
“We were here for fun and that was the main reason for being here, obviously, but I am glad we did end up winning one game. There was a little more competition there in that last match,” Meg Williams said smiling.
Williams’ all-state teammate Chloe Thompson, who will join her to play at Concord University next year, was also glad to pick up a win in the final match, but the event was a little bittersweet for the big hitting Tiger great.
The AA South All-stars, which included Williams and Thompson defeated the AA North starts 2-1.
“We had lost every game all day, so we had to win. That was the only one that really counted, so, it was now or never,” Thompson said, laughing. “Overall everyone brought a different skill set, so it was fun. It did feel strange not playing with our usual players though and It was kind of sad in a way just because it is the last time I will play with and against a lot of these girls.”
The Class AAA North team was the big winner on the day going undefeated against the both Class A and Class AA all-star teams before besting the AAA South team, 2-1 in their final match. The AAA South stars were also undefeated prior to the final match.
The Class A North All-stars defeated the Class A South stars 2-0. The South team absorbed a tough blow when Montcalm standout and second team all-state captain Kayleigh Hodges went down with an injury during warm-ups.
Game 1
AAA South d. A South, 1-0
AAA North d. AA South, 1-0
AA North d. A North, 1-0
Game 2
AAA South d. A North, 1-0
AAA North d. AA North, 1-0
A South d. AA South, 1-0
Game 3
AAA South d. AA South, 1-0
AAA North d. A North, 1-0
AA North d. A South 1-0
Game 4
AAA South d. AA North, 1-0
AAA North d. A South, 1-0
A North d. AA South, 1-0
In-Class match
AAA North d. AAA South, 2-1
AA South d. AA North, 2-1
A North d. A South 2-0
