Charleston – Bridgeport entered the 2024 State Volleyball Tournament unscathed against AAA competition in the Mountain State and also ranked as the top team within its class.
The Indians exited the Charleston Coliseum Thursday afternoon in the same fashion as they entered, but they also headed back to Harrison County carrying the AAA state championship trophy.
Battling No. 2-seed Herbert Hoover, Bridgeport fended off a courageous effort from the Huskies to win the title match 3-1.
Just over 12 hours removed from a grueling semifinal match Wednesday night against No. 3-seed Shady Spring, Hoover started sluggish, but found its footing midway through the opening set.
Trailing 19-10, the Huskies rallied to tie the match at 23-apiece before Bridgeport scored twice for a 25-23 win.
Hoover carried the wave of momentum into set two and rolled to a 25-17 victory to even the match.
However, the Indians regrouped and rolled out to a 14-5 lead, but the Huskies never quit all day. Hoover dug deep and fought back to tie the match at 20-20 before all-stater Myleigh Smell hit a pair of winners to spark a 5-0 run to close the set.
The final set of the day was a carbon copy of the two wins by Bridgeport. The Indians rolled out to a solid lead, only to see the Huskies claw their way back into contention.
Bridgeport won the final set grinder, 25-23 for its first title since 2018.
Smell and Salem Rajjoub represented Bridgeport on the All-Tournament team, while Ashton Henrich, Ziah Smith and Braelyn Adkins were named from Herbert Hoover. Shady Spring standouts Reagan Mann and Alivia Stover, along with Brooklyn Cole from Winfield were also All-Tournament selections.
