CHARLESTON – The Morgantown High School volleyball team has appeared in the state championship match in each of the last three seasons.
In 2022, MHS fell to perennial power Musselman. The Mohigans returned a season later in 2023, and avenged their defeat from the year prior and downed the Lady Applemen for the program’s first state championship. Finally, last season in 2024, MHS met Hedgesville in the inaugural Class AAAA state title match and fell to the Eagles in five sets.
As if the script were writing itself, MHS will have another chance to avenge a defeat in the state title match as top-seeded Hedgesville secured its place in the Class AAAA state championship on Thursday as well.
MHS advanced to its fourth-straight state championship game after defeating 3-seed Cabell Midland 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-20) in the state semifinals late Tuesday night in Charleston.
“The team came in with a stronger mentality. We had a lot more energy and confidence against Cabell,” MHS head coach Abigail Wolfe said. “We had played them before earlier this season, so we knew what to expect a little more. All the nerves were out, and we were able to capture the momentum from the start.”
Along with their two strongest players, Leah Greeny and Paige Brink, senior Kelly Ryan stepped up in a massive way on Tuesday in both matches for the Mohigans, both offensively and defensively.
“Kelly has been solid for us all season. She’s been doing the right thing and coming through in big moments,” Wolfe said. “She definitely had some extra fire yesterday, and it has been great to see her contribute so much. She is such a selfless player and leader all season, and she has been focusing on that this year. She is definitely the most positive; she wants to play like we are going to win every point and doesn’t focus on the score.”
Wolfe’s club will hope to continue carrying its momentum into Thursday’s state title match against a formidable opponent in Hedgesville, who defeated MHS 2-0 in the lone game between the teams in the regular season.
“We have to be sure not to let mistakes get to us and have more confidence in one another,” said Wolfe of what needs to change from the last meeting. “If we steal the momentum earlier and trust one another, we will be fine. We need to stay focused on our side of the court and adapt quickly.
“At this point in the season and especially with the day off, everyone has extra time to scout and capitalize on another team’s weaknesses. It’s really managing the response to it and adapting immediately. One of the great things about our team is that we have many options to adjust hitters, passers, setters, blockers, and servers. We have depth —strong depth, at that.”
