Volleyball State Tournament starts Tuesday
Woodrow Wilson and Shady Spring open play Tuesday, while James Monroe, Independence and Greenbrier West play Wednesday
Tuesday morning, things will be back to normal when the 2025 State Volleyball Tournament commences.
Last year, in the first year of the expanded four-class tournament, court injunctions forced the Class A tournament to be delayed and played in December at West Virginia State University.
Thankfully, that is not the case in 2025 for the event which runs from Tuesday through Thursday inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
Tuesday will feature the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds for Class AAAA and Class AAA.
Wednesday, Class A and AA will be on the main stage for their two opening rounds.
Thursday, champions will be decided in all four classes, starting at 9 a.m. with the AAA title match. AAAA, A and AA will follow on a rolling clock.
Tuesday and Wednesday quarterfinal matches start at 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., while the semifinal round starts at 6:30 p.m.
Shady Spring opens its quest for a state championship in the opening match (1:30 p.m.) of the afternoon session Tuesday.
The Tigers are the No. 2-seed and will be making their ninth straight state tournament appearance when they battle No. 7-seed Hampshire.
As usual, Shady Spring (38-12-1) played a grueling schedule which included 11 teams vying for a state championship in their respective classes.
Shady is loaded with weapons with four players over 200 kills this year including Alivia Stover (414), Reagan Mann (325), Allie Fragile (240) and Baylee Richmond (211).
Senior libero Kenidi Creager stabilizes the back-line.
Hampshire (23-7-2) has not dropped a match since a setback to Martinsburg on Oct. 6 and has not played the Tigers during the regular season.
The Shady and Hampshire winner will play the winner of Spring Valley and defending AAA champion Bridgeport in the semifinals.
Woodrow Wilson (29-14-7) has had an up and down ride this season, but the Beckley girls have been solid in the postseason to punch another ticket to Charleston.
Mollie Smith (343), Anya Hasan (303) and Reagan Rist are strong at the net, while Makayla Adkins has set the table with 867 assists. Senior libero Londen Baker is the back row stalwart with 593 digs and 652 receptions.
The No. 6-seed Flying Eagles will battle No. 3-seed Cabell Midland who has had a stellar season thus far (44-5-1).
The Knights are the reigning Mountain State Athletic Conference Tournament champions and will also be playing Woodrow Wilson for the first time this year.
The winner will play either Morgantown or Parkersburg South in semifinal action.
James Monroe and Independence will both play in the opening quarterfinal session Wednesday morning.
The Mavericks (35-10-3) are the No. 4-seed and will play No. 5-seed Poca (35-5-5).
James Monroe is led by Charleston Southern commit Ava Pitzer with 454 kills and Aliyah Clarkson with 339 winners.
Junior Mya Dunlap and freshman sister Lydia Dunlap have been a menace in the middle combining for over 300 kills and over 50 blocks. Mya Dunlap also has 105 aces on the year.
The Patriots entered Class AA Region 3 play as the No. 2-seed and backed it up with a thrilling win over Wyoming East after fighting back through the elimination bracket.
Making its first trip back to Charleston since 2019, No. 8-seed Independence has the daunting task of trying to take down top-seeded Oak Glen (25-10-3).
Senior Kamryn Wooten is the leading attacker for the Patriots, flanked by the twin towers, Maci and Graci Perry. Senior libero Emma Simpson anchors the back row.
One big key to success for Independence down the stretch has been the accelerated play of its underclassmen.
The Golden Bears won the AA title in 2023 before finishing runner-up in 2024.
The winners of the two early matches will meet in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m.
Greenbrier West (17-20-2) is the defending Class A champion, but will enter the tournament as the No. 7-seed and battle No. 2-seed Gilmer County (32-9-1).
The record for the Cavaliers is somewhat deceiving considering the magnitude of the schedule they played.
Greenbrier West played four Class A teams in the final WV Coaches Poll, along with two in AA, five in AAA and nine in AAAA.
Maddie Sweet sets the table for the Cavaliers, while Ava Price has been a strong force in the middle. Kaylee Martin and Prestlie Shrewsberry are the outside hitters and both played key roles in the state championship win.
Philip Barbour is the defending AA champions, along with Hedgesville in AAAA.
