Gallery by Karen Akers
Prior to the 2022 season, the last two Class AA volleyball championships had been decided by a matchup between Shady Spring and Philip Barbour.
The Tigers won the 2020 title in straight sets, while the Colts won last year’s showdown in a five-set thriller.
Thursday afternoon inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, the state’s two best teams were once again pitted against each other for the top prize in Class AA.
Unfortunately for Shady Spring, it was not the day it hoped for in the rubber match between the two titans.
Falling behind 2-0, in the best-of-five match, Shady rallied to take set three, but the Tigers could not hold an early advantage in the fourth set, falling 3-1 to the Colts.
“I am glad they decided to come back and fight hard and win that third set. It means a lot that they could do that,” Shady Spring head coach Kelly Williams said. “My girls have worked hard all year long. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. It just happened to be the state championship (game). I have some great players and they showed a lot of heart today, so I am super proud of them.”
The stories of the first two sets were eerily similar. Shady Spring built a slight lead, only to see the Colts put together a run midway into the set and take control.
Trailing 10-8 in the first set, Philip Barbour turned to all-stater Emily Denison who sparked a 7-0 run. Denison dropped two kills and executed two booming blocks before Madison Weese capped the run with an ace.
After winning the state title last year, Denison came into the match Thursday motivated to make it two in a row.
“This has been a goal that I have not only set a as freshman, but also when I first started playing volleyball. I have always worked towards goals and getting to a bigger level,” Denison said. “This morning when I woke up and it was crazy to think that moment was here. The one thing I always wanted to do was end up on top and that is where we were today.”
The Colts also entered the match a little disgruntled having received the No. 2 seed in the Class AA state tournament field.
“We did have a chip on our shoulder because we did beat them earlier in the season and we came in seeded No. 2. They were a little fired up about that, but I told them it only mattered where we finished,” Philip Barbour head coach Heather Halfin said. “They kind of used that to fuel the fire. Hopefully they made a point, but I would play (Shady Spring) three times a week. Those are the games that make you better.”
The lead never dropped below three points the rest of the way and the Colts took set one, 25-20.
Shady Spring held a 9-7 advantage in set two before things went south and Philip Barbour ran off six points. The burst was highlighted by a block and an ace from Denison, along with an ace from sophomore standout Mackenna Halfin.
The Tigers chipped away at the lead and closed to within two points before Denison ignited a 5-0 run to secure the set, 25-18.
In the first two sets, Denison recorded 12 kills and three blocks, while Halfin had eight. The duo gave Shady trouble all day from both the front and back rows.
“Mackenna has truly been my little sibling since I started playing this game. (Coach) Halfin asked me when she came up as a freshman to bring her under my wing. I truly want her to learn from all of my mistakes because I have only been able to feel two of these (state titles) and now I am done,” Denison said. “She has been able to feel two of these and she has two more to go. I am just trying to teach her everything I have been able to learn late, so she can take advantage of it.”
The third set was a back-and-forth struggle with both teams making runs, but neither could pull away.
With the match tied at 16-apiece, Meg Williams from Shady and Halfin traded bombs before a kill from Denison later gave the Colts a 23-22 lead.
In the final high school match of her career, Williams recorded 18 kills to lead the Tigers.
With the match on the line, a poke save for a point by Chloe Thompson tied the match. A kill from Williams and an ace from Reagan Mann gave Shady a 26-24 win and a breath of momentum.
The momentum cranked up in the fourth set when the Tigers exploded on an 8-0 run for a 12-3 lead sending the Shady crowd into a frenzy.
However, at a crucial time in the match. Philip Barbour did not fold.
“It was just us depending on each other. I tell everyone in the locker room to find the person you can depend on and look to them for support in those situations,” Denison said. “You can’t crumble in those moments like that. You have to make a come back.”
A tip from Halfin and an 8-0 run by Philip Barbour tied the match, but Shady used a pair of kills from Williams later in the match to build a 22-19 lead.
“When we got a bump, set, spike, we got the ball down,” coach Williams said. “Their hitting was good, but we were just off a little bit.”
Just when it looked like the Tigers would even the match, Halfin hit a big kill and backed it up with an ace. Denison then dropped a tip into an open area in the Tiger defense before two straight attacking errors by Shady put Philip Barbour one point away from the title.
Denison’s 18th kill of the match secured the state title for the Colts.
“I would say their defense was spot on today, but our blocking was not where it needed to be sometimes and sets weren’t either,” Williams said. “At the end of the day these are my girls and I love them no matter what, win or lose. Each and every one of these girls have a bright future and they got where they have because they worked hard. Maybe we didn’t come out with a ring, but it says a lot to be one of those teams up at the top at the end.”
