Gallery by Karen Akers
CHARLESTON – Shady Spring and Herbert Hoover were the lone Region 3 survivors Friday morning in the quarterfinal round of the WVSSAC State Volleyball Tournament.
The No. 1 seed Tigers had no trouble with Frankfort winning the best-of-five match, 25-15, 25-15 and 25-13.
“There were still a a lot of nerves with the bright lights and the different atmosphere, but I think they came in, worked as a team and did a great job,” Shady Spring head coach Kelly Williams said. “We talked about keeping it as normal as possible. They wanted to treat it just like another tournament.”
A huge bright spot for Shady Spring was the return of Camille Testerman who was injured in sectional play and missed the regional tournament.
“We wanted to throw her in there and she did a great job. She said she was ready to go and I said lets go,” Williams said.
Hoover entered the tournament at the No. 4 seed and battle No. 5 Wayne in a five-set thriller. The Pioneers took the first two sets, 25-17 and 25-18.
However, prior to the state tournament, Huskies head coach Anita King said she felt like her team was good enough to be included in the championship discussion.
Her team proved their coach to be correct.
In a must win situation, Hoover rallied to win the final three sets, 25-21, 25-18 and 15-10.
Shady Spring and Herbert Hoover will meet for the fourth time in the last week in the semifinal round at 6:30 p.m. The winner advances to Thursday’s state tournament match against the winner of defending state champion Philip Barbour and Oak Glen.
Woodrow Wilson, Greenbrier West and James Monroe were not so fortunate, dropping their opening round matches to bring their seasons to an end.
The Flying Eagles dropped a five-set thriller to Bridgeport to open the Class AAA portion of the tournament. The Indians took the first set, 25-17 before Woodrow Wilson responded in set two.
After losing an early seven-point lead, the Flying Eagles saved two set points in a wild 27-25 victory.
The crucial third set was another nail-biter with Bridgeport pulling out a 25-23 win before the Flying Eagles evened the match in set four, 25-21.
“We knew this would turn into a five-set match,” Bridgeport head coach Ali Burton said. “We knew Woodrow was scrappy and would keep the ball in play and make us find a way to put it down. That is exactly what they did.”
The fifth set featured six ties in the early going and three lead changes, but a 6-0 run by the Indians put the game away.
“I knew we could win today, but we just had some points fall unfortunately (the wrong way). I wanted it for (the girls),” Woodrow Wilson head coach Bre Rhodes said.
Woodrow Wilson was thrown into a bit of a spin when junior libero Emily Gallaher went down with an injury in the first set and did not return.
“She was not walking right. She said she was fine to go back in, but as a coach, I could not let her back in. It threw everything off a little bit, but I had a freshman come in and step up. I can’t blame it on the injury, but it it did cause a little bit of a wrinkle for sure.”
For Bridgeport, it was the play of senior Alexa Martin that made the difference in the match. Martin finished with 32 kills, 11 blocks and 21 digs.
“We do have some girls at the net that do a nice job reading and making sure that they are doing there job while they are up there,” Burton said. “Our back row does a good job of talking to them. When we were having success it was because we were all talking and playing together.”
Greenbrier West was hoping to end a dry spell by grabbing its first win at the state tournament in six straight trips. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, it was the Yellow Jackets that ended a nine-year drought, sweeping West 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-16).
“I see the same thing I see every time we come down here. They struggle to perform here and play to their potential. Today was not the way Greenbrier West plays volleyball,” Greenbrier West head coach Cindy Nutter said. “We tried to play it safe and only put the ball across. You can’t do that at this level. You have to put it down. (Moorefield) did exactly what I thought they would do, but the girls could not play like the team that they are today.”
James Monroe had its hands full with last year’s state runner-up Ritchie County in its opening match. The Mavs played well, but struggled to slow down the Rebels’ front line who recorded 48 kills in the match.
“(Ritchie County) is a really good team. I think the nerves got us a little bit at the end when things weren’t rolling smoothly, we got a little frustrated,” James Monroe head coach Julie Bradley said. “It is the first time (this group) has been here. Tournament play is something new for us.”
Making their first trip to the state tournament since 2017, Bradley credited her seniors for laying a foundation of success for the bevy of young stars to build upon.
“The seniors tried to be supportive all the way,” Bradley said. “They walked in excited and ready to play, looking at all of the cool stuff that was happening. They were watching all the teams and now they want to try some knew stuff. They got some good experience. This means everything to those girls in Monroe County. Monroe County loves to get to the state tournament. They didn’t quit today and wanted to show everybody they appreciated their support. They are looking forward to next year.”
