Parkersburg South’s Leah Snyder sets the ball during the Parkersburg Spookfest Tournament inside Memorial Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
PARKERSBURG — Five of the top seven teams in the Mountain State’s Class AAAA volleyball program converged inside Memorial Fieldhouse here Saturday for the Spookfest tournament, but the Flying Eagles edged No. 7 Spring Valley 25-23. With the lead reversed, there was no stopping Woodrow Wilson in fifth place. They achieved their third consecutive victory with a record of 25 wins and 20 losses.
“I love playing here.” Flying Eagle all-state setter Abby Dillon credited her with a match-high 20 assists in the final, but thanks to a bump set from Thalia Harris with a match-high 15 kills, libero Ronden Baker He watched as he got the final assist on match point.
“The tournament looks really good. It’s like a mini state tournament with all the good teams. I think a lot of the teams we saw here today you’ll see at the state tournament. We’re all very close.” We have a great team and are very positive. We have strong leadership and a strong sense of unity, so that’s helpful. We will continue to focus on practicing every day.”
The Flying Eagles, led by head coach Bre Rose, earned the third seed after pool play, defeating the host nation’s sixth-seeded Big Reds 25-13, 25-13 in the quarterfinals.
“I really try to get the best team, because I think to be the best you have to play the best.” PHS coach Erin Thorpe agreed, as her team took a 3-0 lead in the second set with an ace from Chloe Gribble. “I was trying to put together the best team in the state and I think we were able to do that.
Brennan Harvey of Parkersburg takes on Woodrow Wilson in tournament play at Saturday’s Spookfest Tournament. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
“Woodrow is very good, very fast. They don’t drop anything. They swing aggressive every time. We tried out a new lineup today. We did some bad things that we normally don’t do. That’s the way volleyball is played.”
Following Gribble’s ace, the Flying Eagles, who defeated No. 7 and No. 4 seed University 25-22 and 25-21 in the semifinals, took control of the game against the Big Reds by scoring nine of the next 10 points. I held it.
Parkersburg, which plays at Herbert Hoover’s St. Albans on Tuesday, tried to escape with the help of two goals from Eva Thayer and an ace from Ella Collins, closing the gap to 18-11, but on match point Harris scored WWHS. He delivered the final blow. Kill.
“Coming here, we knew it was going to be tough pool play against University and (No. 1) Hedgesville.” Coach Rose admitted. “We hadn’t seen them (Hedgesville) before, so we were excited and ready. It was very good and we’re happy to be champions for the third year in a row.”
Spring Valley, which got a game-high four aces from libero Lily Adkins in the final, defeated Hedgesville 32-30, 16-25, 18-16 in the semifinals.
Woodrow Wilson’s Skyler Jeffery, 44, Anya Hasan, 10, Alexis Coleman, 12, and Abby Dillon, 17, held Saturday inside Parkersburg Memorial Fieldhouse. Celebrate by chasing teammate Dariya Hasan’s (23) ace at the Spookfest tournament. The Flying Eagles defeated Spring Valley, winning their third consecutive championship. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
In the third set, the Timberwolves had a chance for a match point at 15-14, but Eagle Gracie Brown made one to stop it. Eva Robertson blocked Emery Bishop, Kennedy Davis neared the match point line, and SVHS won for good on a service error.
Spring Valley, which was leading 18-16 in the first set of the final, scored six consecutive points led by Adkins to take a four-point lead. Adkins had an ace in the spurt, and Avery Ellis, Emily Maynard and Ava Robertson each had downspikes.
Ellis’ kill, one of Sydney Turner’s nine assists, gave SVHS a 23-22 lead, but an attack error tied it.
Kyndra Bailey followed with an ace and Dillon assisted on Molly Smith’s kill to give the Flying Eagles the lead in the first set.
Woodrow Wilson took a 2-0 lead in the second set thanks to a kill from Harris and a block from Kiki Brumfield, but SVHS took a 5-3 lead on back-to-back aces from Adkins. Spring Valley scored nine points after a double block by Brumfield/Emma Edwards Smith, and Edwards beat the Flying Eagle serve receive to make it 11-10 for the Timberwolves.
Spring Valley libero Lily Adkins makes a pass during the Spookfest tournament Saturday inside Memorial Fieldhouse in Parkersburg. Led by first-year head coach Brooke Smith, the Timberwolves finished second to three-time defending champion Woodrow Wilson. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
But Rose’s team scored four straight points thanks to three goals from Harris and a kill from Regan List to take the lead for good.
“We’ve been pretty consistent.” Coach Rose added. “Everyone has been playing well. Not much has changed around us. Just keep doing what’s working.
“These five seniors who love the game love each other and are best friends. They have great leadership and that helps. That’s our game plan, just keep winning. ”
Anya Hasan joined Smith with five kills in the final. List made three downspikes, Alexis Coleman made two downspikes and Harris chipped in three aces.
“That was wild.” SVHS first-year head coach Brooke Smith credited the team with defeating Hedgesville in the semifinals. “We beat No. 1 Morgantown (25-21, 25-17 in the semifinals).
Hedgesville’s Gracie Brown serves the ball during the Spookfest tournament held Saturday inside Memorial Fieldhouse in Parkersburg. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
“We’re so excited about that. We’re so excited about that. They look so good. We get to see them on Thursday at Senior Night, so it’s a great night for us.” It will be.”
The University defeated No. 2 seed Philip Barber, ranked No. 2 in Double-A, by scores of 25-13, 22-25, 15-8, and Hedgesville University defeated No. 9 seed Wheeling Park by a score of 25 straight. We defeated them and advanced to the semi-finals. 17 sets.
In the tournament play-in match, UHS defeated No. 8 Greenbrier East 25-21, 25-17, while WPHS defeated No. 10 Parkersburg South 25-22, 23-25, 17-15. I finished it.
For the local Patriots, led by head coach Emily Trackwell, Cheyenne Hayes had two kills off an assist from Leah Snyder and blocked Wheeling Park’s Delaney Randolph on the serve of libero Brylee Hatcher in the third set. Things looked good when they built a 14-12 cushion.
But Park’s Grace Tamblyn had a kill and Rowan Gillespie’s ace tied the score at 14 in the set.
Minami had a chance to win with a 15-14 lead, but allowed three points in the end. Lily Brinker’s kill made it 16-15, and Randolph got the final service tally on a South attack error.
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com.
