South volleyball falls to Hurricane in sectional final; PHS ousted
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HURRICANE -- Some kids at Hurricane High School might yawn a lot during class on Thursday.
That’s because the Redskins were in anything but a yawner in winning the Class AAA, Region 4, Section 2 volleyball championship. Hurricane defeated Parkersburg South 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-11).
Both teams advance to the Region 4 Tournament on Saturday at Parkersburg with Cabell Midland and Huntington High.
The Redskins (32-13-1) never trailed in the final set, taking a 2-1 lead when Parkersburg South sent a serve out of bounds. Hurricane built the lead to as many as five points three times, only to see the Patriots charge back within 11-9. Claire Wheeler, though, softly directed a two-hand shot to an opening to make it 12-9 and spark a 4-2 run to win it.
In the semifinals, a volleyball match that appeared to be a walkover turned into a wakeup in the semifinals.
Hurricane breezed through its first two sets 25-8 and 25-16 against Ripley, only to see the Vikings (26-17) charge back and make the host Redskins earn a 3-1 triumph.
"We let off the gas there for a bit," Hurricane coach Dustin Walls said of losing the third set 22-25 before winning the fourth 25-16. "What I really love is the fight that they showed. We have a gritty team and we're talented. If we're those things, we're a tough out for anybody."
The Vikings used streaks of 6-0 and 5-1 to take a 20-15 lead in the third set. Ripley boosted the lead to 23-16 before the Redskins went on a 6-0 run. Emily King then deftly placed a shot in an open area and Delaney Howery finished the set with an ace for Ripley.
Hurricane regained control in the third set, jumping to a 7-2 lead behind a pair of aces by Wheeler and smashes by Abigail Deel. The Vikings closed within 9-6, but Hurricane used a 6-1 run to pull away.
"This time of year it's win or go home, and our girls didn't want to go home, yet," Walls said. "Our leadership was fantastic. Our captains, Claire Wheeler, Reese Parsons and Abigail Deel, were fantastic. The communication was there. They've been outstanding, and tonight they showed what a captain is supposed to be on the court."
Wheeler and Deel handled much of the early scoring in the first set. Bella Deel made three consecutive aces late to give the Redskins a 22-6 lead. Wheeler ended the set with a smash to the back line.
Ripley led the second set 7-6, but Hurricane took control with a 6-2 run. The Vikings pulled within 15-14 on a point by Aubrey Haskins, but Layla Swint scored two straight points to spark Hurricane to a 10-3 run to win the set.
The Big Reds (23-17-6) and Patriots (17-17-1) played an epic match in the other semifinal, with Parkersburg South pulling out a 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 25-23, 26-28, 15-10) decision.
The difference was the Patriots’ 5-foot-11 Maia Johnson, who scored 25 points. The hard-hitting senior frequently found openings or ricocheted balls off defenders.
“I felt it would be an intense match because of the rivalry,” Parkersburg South coach Emily Tracewell said. “We’ve been preparing for this all season long. They’ve been putting in the hard work and dedication, and I honestly went into today feeling they would play their best game.”
Parkersburg led the fifth set 7-4, but the Patriots used a 7-1 run that ended with Smith smashing a shot off a Parkersburg player for an 11-8 lead. Smith made a similar play for the penultimate point before South won on a Big Reds mis-hit.
“We just made a recent lineup change,” Tracewell said. “They played very well. That’s the first time playing with that lineup.”
Parkersburg’s Caelyn Wise recorded her 1,000th career kill during the match. She made her 1,000th dig two weeks ago.