Upstart Big Reds have sixth seed going into Class AAA state volleyball tournament
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PARKERSBURG -- Although not predicted to bring home a Class AAA state volleyball championship, No. 6 seed Parkersburg will begin its quest for one this afternoon versus No. 3 Hedgesville.
It's been more than two months since Erin Thorpe's Big Reds opened the season 5-2 on their Orlando trip.
More recently, the red and white claimed the Region IV crown in Ona, have won four straight and will bring a 37-14-3 record into a state quarterfinal showdown against the Eagles (34-11).
The programs will meet for the first time this year around 3:30 p.m. inside the Charleston Coliseum.
"The girls are very excited for states," stated the coach. "They seem pretty level-headed and focused right now. I think they've finally realized what a talented group they are and are rolling with it now.
"They see all of the support from other students and parents and teachers and that is just adding fuel to their fire. Hedgesville is a tough first game. They serve well and have very strong outsides."
Head coach Allison Whitford's Eagles won their regional after finally solving two-time defending state champion Musselman following three previous defeats.
The HHS trio of Alayna Harper (405 kills), Gracie Brown (355 K) and Paisley Miller (242 K) are fed by setter Paige Richmond, who has 1,129 assists and 98 aces.
"We have to make sure our passing game is on point and that we are able to just keep the ball in play as much as we can," coach Thorpe stressed.
"We haven't been able to make it this far without every single player on this team, including our amazing JV players who travel and are the most amazing support team.
"(Libero) Olivia (Perkins), Meghan (Lauderman) and Elliza (Towner) are playing some of the best back row I've seen them play all year. They are making necessary changes and being more vocal than ever."
Perkins leads the Big Reds with 492 digs, Lauderman has 243 and Towner, who missed some time, has 143.
Parkersburg's front line features the senior quartet of Mya Green, Lily Wharton, Kylee Lewis and Riley Hilling. Green and Wharton, who pace the team in blocks, have 275 and 201 kills, respectively.
"Mya has come alive and her offense has been a huge part of our success," coach Thorpe added. "Lily has really figured out how to hit different angles and touches almost everything on our block. Caelyn (Wise), Riley and Kylee have figured out how to set up our blocks well and their shot selections are perfect right now.
"Rylee (Wise) can really read the court and sets exactly who she needs to at the right time. That's the best part about this group, just the fact they love each other and are so successful together."
Hilling (189) and Lewis (178) are approaching 200 downed spikes apiece. However, Caelyn Wise's 326 kills leads PHS.
Caelyn Wise is second on the team with 66 aces and Perkins is third with 60, but the senior setter Rylee Wise needs two more to hit the century mark.
She also has amassed 990 assists and more than 2,000 in her career.
"We get so many compliments about how well they play together on the floor and how much fun they are to watch, but that's just because they have so much team chemistry off of the floor as well as on," coach Thorpe continued.
"They enjoy each other and they know that the only way we will be successful is as one unit. If we can play our game and keep our energy alive, I'm really excited to see what this team does in this tournament."
Today's opening 8:30 a.m. state quarterfinal pits No. 4 Woodrow Wilson against No. 5 Bridgeport, followed by No. 8 George Washington getting the first crack at upsetting the top-seeded Applemen.
The afternoon session gets underway at 1:30 p.m. with No. 2 Morgantown and No. 7 Spring Valley colliding.
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com