CHARLESTON – After shaking off some early nerves, the Morgantown High volleyball team found its rhythm and rolled to a 3-1 victory over Parkersburg South in Tuesday’s state quarterfinal matchup.
Parkersburg South came out firing in the opening set, taking advantage of early Mohigan jitters to jump ahead 6–3. Despite Morgantown briefly drawing even at 10, the Patriots regained control behind a steady attack and extended their lead to 15–11, forcing an MHS timeout. The Mohigans struggled to find consistency, and although they rallied late, Parkersburg South closed out the set 25–19 to take a 1–0 match lead.
“We just told the girls to stick to the plan,” MHS head coach Abigail Wolfe said. “We moved Abby (Paulsen) into the middle against their offense, and that helped. They moved their block in the third and fourth set to take Kelly (Ryan) away, but that just freed up Paige (Brink) and Leah (Greeny) to start ripping the ball.”
The tide turned quickly in the second set. Morgantown came out with renewed energy and raced to a 6–1 lead, prompting an early timeout from the Patriots. With their offense clicking and defense tightening up, the Mohigans dominated the frame, extending their lead to 18–8 before finishing off a commanding 25–10 victory to even the match at one set apiece.
That momentum carried into the third set as Morgantown stormed out to a 5–0 start and never looked back. The Mohigans’ front line controlled the net, building a 12–2 advantage and cruising to a 25–15 win to take a 2–1 edge in the match. After the shaky start, Morgantown looked every bit the tournament contender, adjusting well to Parkersburg South’s attack.
In the fourth set, the Mohigans kept their foot on the gas. A balanced offense pushed them ahead 11–6 before Parkersburg South began to claw back, cutting the deficit to 13–10. Morgantown responded with a three-point run to regain control and later stretched its lead to 22–13.
The Patriots made one final push, trimming the margin to 24–19 and forcing an MHS timeout. But junior Abby Paulsen sealed the victory with a decisive kill, clinching the set 25–19 and sending the Mohigans to the semifinals.
With the 3–1 win, Morgantown advances to Thursday night’s semifinal round. A win in the semis would secure a spot in Thursday’s Class AAAA state championship against the winner of the second semifinal between Musselman and Hedgesville.
