Photo provided by Sarah Dunn The Wood County Christian volleyball team defeated Elk Valley Christian in four sets Saturday in Charleston to claim its first WVCAT championship in six years. Team members are, from left: Sophia Thibault, assistant coach Sarah Spurgeon, Sophia Board, Logan Jackson, Haley Wilkinson, Sophie Seckman, Camryn Yoho, Stella Dunn, Skylar Wilkinson, Rowyn Wharton, Samantha Erlandson, Kylee Border, and head coach Naddine Border.

WILLIAMSTOWN — Still in its infancy in terms of membership in the WVSSAC, don’t go to sleep on Wood County Christian volleyball.

The Wildcats are fresh off its first WVCAT championship in six years after making their way through the bracket as the No. 6 seed and winning four matches over the period of two days this past weekend in Charleston.

The run culminated with a four-set win over top-seeded Elk Valley Christian in the championship match by scores of 25-23, 26-28, 25-12 and 25-21. The Wildcats avenged an early season loss to the Eagles and improved to 21-5 with one regular season match remaining Thursday against Ritchie County at home in Williamstown.

“The whole weekend, we didn’t miss many serves and didn’t give up many points — the girls played really smart,” WCCS second-year coach Naddine Border said.

“Before the match, I pulled my captains (Kylee Border, Sophia Board and Rowyn Wharton) aside. I told them we didn’t want to have what happened last year when we lost in the championship game. I told them to make sure to be leaders on the floor and keep everyone calm. And that’s what they did.

“That match on Saturday was intense. We call Elk Valley the come back queens because they are very scrappy and rally very quickly.”

WCCS secured a spot in the finals by defeating Cross Lanes Christian, Mercer Christian Academy and second-seeded Victory Baptist Academy on Friday. In three matches, the Wildcats dropped just one set.

“After we defeated Elk Valley, I think the girls were surprised,” Border said. “We were ranked low, made it all the way up and won it all. These girls are very talented and have a high volleyball IQ. There was no doubt they could do it. They just needed to believe in themselves.”

On a 11-member roster featuring nine underclassmen, it was two juniors and one freshman earning post tournament accolades at the WVCAT. Libero Sophia Thibault received Most Valuable Player honors, while teammates Haley Wilkinson and Wharton were also featured on the all-tournament team.

“Sophia has improved a lot — she is very quick,” Border said. “She is definitely a leader on the floor and valuable to the team. Another junior, Rowyn, is our setter. She has nice hands and makes really good decisions on the floor.

“Haley is a freshman. We call her the beast. When she is on the front row, she has so much power I tell the girls to feed the beast.”

As the No. 4 seed in a field of six teams, WCCS opens Class A sectional action Monday against St. Marys. Teams advancing to the championship match qualify for regionals. The Wildcats don’t see any reason why they can’t be considered a challenger.

“The girls are riding on a high — they are confident they can be competitive,” Border said. “I think they are raring to go. We’ll see what we can do in sectionals.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com