The volleyball squads under Woodrow Wilson head coach Bre Rhodes are normally a little rough around the edges to start the season.
However, once postseason play arrives, the Flying Eagles are typically primed to do some damage.
Saturday morning in the Class AAA Region 3 Tournament, Woodrow came in like a wrecking ball.
After dispatching South Charleston in the opening match, 3-0, the Beckley girls brought home the regional title with a 3-1 win over rival George Washington.
“I like the way they are playing and their energy right now. Everything is coming together at just the right time,” Rhodes said. “That is exactly what we need. It is always a roller-coaster in the beginning, but as long it comes together in the end, it is a good ride.”
Woodrow Wilson jumped out to a quick 18-7 lead in set one against the Black Eagles and waltzed to a 25-14 win.
Set two was a little more interesting in the early going, but with the score tied at 11-11, the Flying Eagles started to pull away.
Leading 19-14, Alanna Penn sent Woodrow on the decisive 6-0 run. The junior outside hitter recorded four kills and two emphatic blocks for a 25-14 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The final set was a solid effort from Woodrow who wasted no time jumping to a 10-3 lead. Holding a 13-7 advantage, the Flying Eagles exploded for seven straight points en route to a 25-12 win.
George Washington came ready to play in the championship match and took a quick lead in the set one, but as expected, Woodrow Wilson rallied to take a late 22-21 lead.
The lead would not hold however with the Patriots grabbing four of the next five points for a 25-23 victory.
Across the next three sets, the Flying Eagles gained the upper hand by slowing down the George Washington attackers who had been lethal in the opening match against Greenbrier East.
“They kept us on our heels a little bit. They have a huge block at the net and they swing hard,” veteran George Washington head coach Missy Smith said. “We were having trouble getting control first of all. If we don’t have control first of all, it limits what we can do offensively. We are not as effective that way.”
With the front row deflecting balls to slow down the attack and the back row answering the bell to get the ball to all-state setter Abby Dillon, Woodrow started to settle into a groove.
“One of the things that we have worked on all season and in past seasons is getting the ball to Abby (Dillon),” senior defensive specialist Abby Mower said. “We want her to move as little as she can.”
With effective play at the net and along the back row, Dillon set the table for the big hitters and Woodrow rolled to a 25-16 win in set two and set three.
Leading 11-10 in the fourth set, the Flying Eagles flexed its muscle in a 9-1 run that led to a 25-18 win and another regional championship plaque.
George Washington advanced to the regional championship match with a 3-0 win over Greenbrier East.
The key to the win for the Patriots was a fast start that put the Spartans in 2-0 deficit in the best-of-five match.
“We did not look past East at all. If you do that, that is how you get beat and East is a great team,” Smith said. “We were lucky to come out on top of that and we started out good against Woodrow, but ran out of gas here in the end.”
After beating Greenbrier East 25-16 in set one, G-Dub made quick work of the Spartans in set two with a 25-7 win.
“Once we knew who we were playing, we preached a fast start. We knew we had to get going and we were lucky enough that is how it happened,” Smith said. “We got out on them and they reeled a little bit, but they rallied and never quit. I told the girls they would not quit and would not go away. They are a great program and they want to go (to states) too. We were able to fend them off in the third set.”
The Spartans built a 16-8 lead and appeared to be pushing the match to a fourth set when the Patriots came storming back to take a 20-18 lead.
East rallied to take a 23-21 advantage, but once again, could not hold the lead. In a wild back and forth affair, the Patriots were able to squeak out a 29-27 win to secure the match.
“We came out cold on being aggressive. If we are not aggressive, (George Washington) is too good an offensive team,” Greenbrier East head coach Matt Sauvage said. “We started out playing a lot of defense for some reason. I am not sure what we were doing there. Third set, we finally settled in. GW winning the third set, I give them all the credit. That was fun volleyball.”
The loss for East brings an end to the career of four seniors that have been stalwarts for the Spartans, including all-state libero Dia Sauvage who has placed her name all over the the Greenbrier East record book.
“Overall I am proud of these girls. They ended up like 43-13-1, so you can’t fuss about it. They left everything on the court every time that they played. The best thing about it is they are just a great group of young ladies,” Sauvage said. “It is a tough group to lose (Taylor Boswell, Gracie Gumm and Peyton Barker). To see this as (Dia’s) last season of volleyball is hard to watch as a dad. With that being said, I have been blessed to have Greenbrier East volleyball as part of my family.”
Woodrow Wilson and George Washington will begin play in the state volleyball tournament on Wednesday in Charleston. The official times and opponents will be announced Sunday.
