No. 3 Morgantown volleyball advances to state title match over No. 2 Martinsburg in five-set thriller
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CHARLESTON – The Morgantown High School volleyball team found itself one set away from ending its season Wednesday night, but decided it had other plans.
No. 3 Morgantown rallied from a 7-1 deficit in the fourth set to force a deciding fifth, then carried that momentum to a 3-2 victory over No. 2 Martinsburg in the Class AAAA state volleyball semifinals.
The Mohigans dropped the second and third sets after taking the opener, putting their backs against the wall. However, a strong effort at the net from Abby Paulsen and Leah Greeny helped turn the match around and send Morgantown back to the state championship for the second consecutive season.
The Mohigans controlled much of the opening set, using strong serving and multiple aces to build a comfortable advantage. Greeny finished the set with a big kill, giving her team a 25-15 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
Martinsburg responded in the second set, overcoming an early Morgantown advantage and pulling away late for a 25-22 victory. The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the third, taking control after a close start and eventually securing a 25-18 win to move ahead 2-1.
Facing elimination in the fourth, Morgantown struggled out of the gate as Martinsburg jumped ahead 7-1, forcing an early timeout.
"I basically told them we obviously had some work to do but that we had plenty of time to do it," Morgantown head coach Abigail Wolfe said. "It's something we've done before, so I challenged them to go do it again. Then told them to get back to the gameplan and they did."
Paulsen helped spark the comeback with a block and a kill, while Greeny continued to make her presence felt at the net. The Mohigans slowly chipped away at the deficit, pulling within 1 at 11-10 before Martinsburg answered with another run, leading 15-11.
Morgantown refused to go away.
Paulsen and Greeny came up with several important plays at the net to help the Mohigans tie the set at 16. Paulsen then delivered another big block to give Morgantown its first lead of the set at 18-17.
An ace from Paulsen pushed the advantage to 20-18, and the Mohigans continued to build momentum from there. Morgantown reached set point at 24-21 before closing out a 25-22 victory.
Greeny delivered the finishing blow with a massive kill from the left side, forcing a fifth set and giving the Mohigans new life.
Morgantown carried that energy into the deciding set, opening with a 6-0 run, highlighted by another Greeny kill and a big block. Martinsburg attempted to work its way back into the match, but the Mohigans maintained control and extended their advantage to 12-7.
Morgantown finished the job with a 15-8 victory in the fifth set, completing the comeback and punching its ticket to another state championship appearance.
The Mohigans will face Cabell Midland at 5:30 p.m. Thursday with a chance to capture their second consecutive Class AAAA state title.