Morgantown High volleyball claims 2nd straight Class AAAA state championship with 3-1 victory over Cabell Midland
Trending
CHARLESTON – The Morgantown High School volleyball team captured its second consecutive Class AAAA state championship on Thursday evening in Charleston.
The Mohigans have now won three state titles in four years, establishing themselves as one of the most dominant programs in West Virginia over the last several seasons.
It took four sets for the third-seeded Mohigans to defeat No. 4 Cabell Midland and take home the title, winning 3-1 (25-14, 25-23, 17-25, 25-13).
"We feel really blessed," MHS head coach Abigail Wolfe said. "We have such strong athletes that are so dedicated to the sport and who all work hard in the offseason. I've said this before, but you won't find another group that prepares more than our girls do."
Morgantown controlled the opening set from the start, building an early 7-1 lead and eventually pulling away for a 25-14 win. Senior Abby Paulsen helped set the tone at the net with consecutive kills and a block, extending the Mohigans’ advantage into double digits.
The second set proved to be a much closer contest.
Cabell Midland erased an early deficit and eventually took its first lead of the match at 18-17. The Knights continued to trade points with Morgantown before a block at the net gave them a 23-20 advantage.
With the set slipping away, Leah Greeny helped turn things around.
The junior recorded a kill and a block to bring her team within one before the Mohigans tied the set at 23. Greeny then added another kill to give them set point, and the Mohigans closed out a 25-23 victory.
Greeny’s contributions on both sides of the net were a major part of the five-point run that gave Morgantown a 2-0 lead in the match. The state’s top player made her presence felt at a critical point, helping the Mohigans avoid a shift in momentum.
"The big difference was our energy," said Greeny of the difference between the third and fourth sets for MHS. "We all wanted it so bad and came out with the energy we had in the first set."
Cabell Midland responded in the third set, taking an early lead and building its advantage to as many as eight points. The Knights prevented Morgantown from mounting a sustained run and held on for a 25-17 win, making it a 2-1 match.
Morgantown regained control in the fourth set.
The Mohigans opened with a 3-0 lead before extending it to 8-5. After a Cabell Midland timeout, MHS scored four straight points to take a 12-5 lead.
"We love to lose set three," Wolfe said. "We always expect teams to turn up the fight a little at some point. Volleyball is a great sport because you reset to zero and go back to see who can win from there. We train a lot of mental things throughout the year, and our girls do a great job. You saw it against Martinsburg where we were down, and then came out strong in the fourth and fifth sets."
The Mohigans continued to create separation defensively, getting several blocks at the net. An additional block, an ace and a Midland error helped push the lead to 16-7.
Cabell Midland briefly cut into the deficit, but Morgantown responded and eventually built a 22-12 advantage.
Greeny recorded another kill to give the Mohigans match point before finishing the night with the final kill in a 25-13 fourth-set win.
While Greeny made a significant difference in the deciding moments, Morgantown received contributions throughout the lineup. The Mohigans also have several players returning next season, including Greeny and freshmen Ava Nestor and Sierra Pryor.
With three state titles in four seasons, MHS has firmly established its place at the top of Class AAAA volleyball. Thursday's win added another chapter to the program’s recent run.
Leah Greeny, Abby Paulsen and Audrey Thompkins were named to the Class AAAA all-tournament team for MHS.