Three sports have awarded state championship thus far during the 2024-25 school year.
Now it’s time for volleyball to step into the state tournament spotlight.
Tuesday through Thursday, teams across the Mountain State will gather inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center with three state titles on the line.
The state volleyball tournament starts Tuesday with Class AA scheduled to play its quarterfinal and semifinal matches. Wednesday the event shifts to the first round matches for Class AAA and AAAA.
The Class A tournament has been postponed indefinitely pending on-going court filings.
Quarterfinal matches start at 8:30 a.m. each morning with the semifinals starting at 6:30 p.m. later that night.
The championship matches will be contested Thursday for Class AA, AAA and AAAA played on a rolling clock. The championship start time is still to be determined.
Here is a look ahead for the Region 3 contenders:
Class AAAA
Beckley and George Washington
Beckley and George Washington once again represent the big schools. The Flying Eagles are making their fifth straight state tournament appearance, while the Patriots have made the big dance every year since 2014.
The Flying Eagles (40-7-2) are the No. 4 seed and will open the Wednesday session with am 8:30 a.m. battle with No. 5 seed Spring Valley.
Beckley ran roughshod through the postseason and may being playing with a bit of a chip on its shoulder after it appeared the Flying Eagles might garner the No. 3 seed for the tournament.
Senior all-stater Abby Dillon runs the show for Beckley with over 4,000 career assists and over 1,000 this year working with a young front line.
The veteran hitter for Beckley is senior Salia Harris who has 517 kills, but the Flying Eagles are diverse across the attacking zone. Junior Anya Hasan (231) attacks the net with bad intentions, while freshman Mollie Smith (146), sophomore Reagan Rist (124) and senior Alexis Coleman (114) have all been effective, especially in the postseason.
Junior Londen Baker and senior Skylar Jeffrey have been the back row stalwarts for the Flying Eagles.
The 2024 season has been a battle for George Washington (20-22-4), but the Patriots have persevered to make their return to the Charleston as the No. 8 seed.
Senior Sarah Monday is the team leader in kills with 290 kills, followed by junior Zoe Pray with 205. Senior Trinity Gable has 430 assists on the year, while freshman Ali Arbogast has 357 assists.
George Washington will have the daunting task of playing No. 1 seed Hedgesville following the Beckley-Spring Valley match-up.
The winners from Wednesday morning will meet in the first semifinal clash at 6:30 p.m. later that night.
Class AAA
Shady Spring and Herbert Hoover
Shady Spring and Herbert Hoover have been the dominant teams in AA from Region 3 the last few years. However, with the new four-class system, both teams moved up to Class AAA for the 2024 season.
New classification, but still the same dominance.
Both teams spent most of the season ranked in the AAA top-five and enter the state tournament seeded in the top three.
Shady Spring (30-24-1) may not have its normal sparkling regular season record, but the Tigers have played a grueling schedule filled with AAAA opponents. All this while battling injuries and illness along the way.
Junior Alivia Stover leads the team with 339 kills, followed by junior Regan Mann (254), senior Rachel Mann (225) and sophomore Allie Fragile (175).
Sophomore Baylee Richmond and junior Brooklyn Humphries have been key components to Shady’s postseason success as well. Junior Kenidi Creager anchors a solid back line for the Tigers.
Hoover (47-6-1) enters the tournament red hot and will definitely be a title contender. The Huskies have dropped just two sets in the last 17 matches.
Balance as been the formula to success for Hoover.
Junior hitter Ziah Smith is a ball of excitement at the net leading the team with 378 kills and 86 blocks. Senior all-stater Ashton Henrich is an all-around threat with 329 kills, 105 aces and 360 digs. Fellow senior Brianna Adkins and sophomore Lilli Lancaster have combined for over 1,100 assists this season.
Herbert Hoover is the No. 2 seed and opens the afternoon session Wednesday against Wayne at 1:30 p.m. No. 3 seed Shady Spring will follow that match against No. 6 seed Weir.
The winners of the two afternoon matches will meet later that night in the second semifinal match.
Class AA
James Monroe and Wyoming East
Top to bottom, the Class AA bracket is a beast. Defending State champion Oak Glen is back as the No. 1 seed, while Philip Barbour is the No. 2 seed, having won titles in 2021 and 2022. The Colts were also the runners-up a year ago.
James Monroe (41-6-3) is the No. 4 seed and will send an experienced team to Charleston with every intent of playing for a state title.
The Mavericks are loaded with explosive attackers led by junior Aliyah Clarkson with 342 kills. Clarkson is followed closely by senior Maggie Boroski and junior Ava Pitzer with 327 and 319 winners, respectively.
Pitzer is an all-around threat for James Monroe, leading the team in aces (94), digs (338) and receptions (481).
Boroski, Sadie Mann Aliyah Clarkson, Skylar Clarkson, and Hannah Rhodes all have over 50 aces on the season. Rhodes also leads the Mavs with 576 assists, while Skylar Clarkson has 410 assists.
The Dunlap sisters, Ava and Mya, terrorize opposing hitters at the net for the Mavs.
James Monroe opens the tournament Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m. against No. 5 seed Buffalo (43-8-1). The winner will meet either No. 1 seed Oak Glen or No. 8 South Harrison at 6:30 p.m. later that night in the semifinals.
Wyoming East (32-8-1) is also making its first ever appearance in the state volleyball tournament. The Warriors will need to be on its game if they want to pull off the upset against Philip Barbour.
Junior Carli Raye leads East with 292 kills, but the Warriors have several strong attackers in sophomore Amanda Silva (200), sophomore Carlee Rollins (172) and junior Karlee Lusk (121).
Junior Lauren Staton is the table setter with 489 assists, but East also gets contributions from sophomore Kenzie McGraw (101) and Lusk (172).
The Colts are led by senior all-stater and Player of the Year candidate Mackenna Halfin with 547 kills and sophomore Izzy Knotts with 338 winners.
Wyoming East and Philip Barbour will play at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday where the winner will meet either No. 3 Williamstown or No. 6 Charleston Catholic in the second semifinal match.
