Breaking News
Local Sports

South Harrison secures LKC volleyball title

By Jay W. Bennett 7 min read

ELIZABETH -- Following the opening round of Saturday's Little Kanawha Conference championships, top-seeded South Harrison, defending champ Wirt County and third-seeded Ravenswood were left to do battle in a triangular.

When it was all said and done, the Hawks brought home the first LKC title in school history.

Head coach Breanna Sears' program was in a virtual must-win sweep of Ravenswood in the third match after the Hawks had previously fallen to Wirt County (25-6, 23-25, 25-19), but the Tigers were upended by the Red Devilettes – 13-25, 25-23 and 25-19.

"It wasn't easy and after losing to Wirt County, who is a tremendous team, it was one of those things," Sears said. "It's like 'what do we do, how are we going to get there' and we walked into the game against Ravenswood and we told them what we needed to accomplish.

"We told them they needed to beat them in two sets because it's going to come down to sets. Every match today went to three sets. This is our first championship. It's quite an honor."

Five kills by Anna Casto, who became Ravenswood's all-time career points scoring leader, helped head coach Chris Michael's squad to an early 5-3 lead versus the Hawks in the opening set. A Maddie Slater kill via an Ariel Curits assist along with a Casto service point had the set square at 16, but Emma Sharpe put one to the floor thanks to an up by Delainey Lowther to take the lead for good as the Hawks won 25-18.

Bella Ray's assist to Casto got RHS going in set two and the Red Devilettes had it even at 10 following a Marley Cole kill and a Makenna Creel block of Gabby Davis. A Cole block of Kennedy Southern was followed by a Montana Slater ace as Ravenswood pushed ahead 15-13.

Despite holding a 20-17 cushion after Hawk Lilly Bennett's attack was double blocked by Creel and Maddie Slater, the top-seed closed it to 21-20 following a Sharpe ace.

Ravenswood, which won its 37th match versus the Tigers to set the new single-season school record for victories, led 23-20 after a Cole kill and a SHHS attack error.

However, the Hawks delivered in the clutch and scored the final five points of the set to lock up the LKC crown. South Harrison got a side out following an attack error and after libero Amelia Critchfield served up an ace, it was 23-all when Audrey Burnside registered a kill. Critchfield ended up serving aces on the final two points as Ravenswood let the first one go, but it hit the back line, while her final serve clipped the net and fell over.

"They play together all year, which helps. They travel and a lot of them get to play together," Sears added. "Obviously, it builds that chemistry. They are friends on the court, off the court and obviously that helps. We're not a perfect team and everybody has their things, but it was big coming from that loss to Wirt County and to come into this game, the hype was different.

"The energy was different. There was like a new fire underneath them and so it was very encouraging as a coach, but you know when we were down 20-23, it was like 'OK, this is what we have to do' and they went out, executed it and I'm so proud of them. It's a great honor to just see this team get the LKC championship."

Wirt County, which handed the Hawks their first conference setback, used an ace from Simone Hall to wrap up set point in the opening game versus Ravenswood, which then looked doomed after falling behind the Tigers 19-10 in set two.

The defending Class A state champion Tigers (27-9) built their advantage thanks in part to a pair of aces apiece from Breigyn Dawson and Cate Wigal and one ace apiece by Addie Williams and Jasmine Williams along with three kills by Sophie Romage and five by Hall.

Montana Slater, the Red Devilettes' libero, had a key dig on a Hall smash as Casto had three kills in a short spurt that closed the gap to 19-14.

Ravenswood used a pair of downed spikes from Maddie Slater as well as her own ace as the Tigers of head coach Katie Frazier called timeout with a 22-20 advantage. Following a Creel kill and block the match was even at 22, but RHS then had a service error.

Nonetheless, Cole registered a kill for a side out and then followed it up with two more downed spikes, which kept Ravenswood, the 2024 LKC champions, alive for the title.

The Tigers never trailed in set three versus the Hawks as Jasmine Williams opened at the service line with three straight tallies, the first coming on a Hall kill from a Brook Mills assist.

South Harrison (27-6-1) got a trio of kills from Bennett to keep it a 12-7 affair, but the Hawks couldn't get any closer. They still trailed 23-18 following a Burnside ace, but Mills got a kill to set up match point, which was earned on a SHHS service error.

Due to tiebreakers, the Tigers finished runner-up with Ravenswood taking third place and being followed by Gilmer County, Roane County and sixth-place Williamstown.

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com

Little Kanawha Conference Championship

at Wirt County

Championship Triangular

Wirt County d. South Harrison 25-6, 23-25, 25-19

South Harrison (27-6-1) stats: Kennedy Southern 2 pts, 7 K; Delainey Lowther 5 pts, 3 aces, 9 AST; Emma Sharpe 3 pts, 3 K; Amelia Critchfield 4 pts, 1 ace, 1 AST; Audrey Burnside 5 pts, 2 aces, 12 AST, 4 K; Gabby Davis 1 pt, 1 ace, 1 AST, 3 K; Lilly Bennett 7 K; Josie Lowther 1 K

Wirt County (27-9) stats: Addie Williams 8 pts, 4 aces, 6 D; Cate Wigal 12 pts, 2 ace, 1 D; Simone Hall 12 pts, 6 aces, 15 K, 1 B, 3 D; Jasmine Williams 9 pts, 2 aces; Breigyn Dawson 2 pts, 1 ace, 30 AST, 3 K, 5 D; Peyten McKown 5 K; Mya Hatcher 1 AST, 18 D; Brook Mills 1 AST, 5 K, 1 B, 1 D; Sophie Romage 4 K, 4 D; Lia Casenelli 7 D

Ravenswood d. Wirt County 13-25, 25-23, 25-19

Ravenswood (37-5) stats: Montana Slater 6 pts, 1 ace, 1 AST; Bella Ray 10 pts, 11 AST; Anna Casto 2 pts, 1 ace, 1 AST, 13 K; Makenna Creel 4 pts, 5 K; Maddie Slater 7 pts, 1 ace, 3 AST, 5 K; Ariel Curtis 4 pts, 1 ace, 5 AST; Marley Cole 1 AST, 7 K

Wirt County stats: J. Williams 8 pts, 3 aces; A. Williams 10 pts, 2 ace, 1 AST, 1 K, 2 D; Wigal 9 pts, 3 aces, 2 D; Hall 6 pts, 3 aces, 18 K, 1 B, 3 D; Dawson 4 pts, 2 aces, 33 AST, 2 K, 3 B; Rayann Nay 2 pts; McKown 6 K, 1 B; Hatcher 1 AST, 14 D; Romage 7 K, 2 B, 6 D; Mills 3 K, 1 B, 2 D; Casenelli 3 D

South Harrison d. Ravenswood 25-18, 25-23

Ravenswood stats: Creel 3 pts, 3 K; Mo. Slater 3 pts, 1 ace; Ray 4 pts, 7 AST; Casto 5 pts, 10 K; Ma. Slater 2 pts, 1 AST, 7 K; Curtis 1 pt, 13 AST; Cole 1 AST, 2 K

South Harrison stats: Davis 3 pts, 1 ace, 3 K; D. Lowther 4 pts, 2 aces, 10 AST; Sharpe 10 pts, 3 aces, 1 AST, 4 K; Burnside 1 pt, 9 ASt, 5 K; Southern 1 pt, 1 AST, 5 K; Critchfield 7 pts, 4 aces, 1 AST; J. Lowther 2 K; Bennett 4 K

FIRST ROUND

#1 South Harrison d. #6 Roane County 25-27, 25-13, 25-20

#2 Wirt County d. #5 Williamstown 25-12, 22-25, 25-19

Wirt County stats: McKown 9 K, 4 B, 1 D; Mills 2 K, 1 B, 2 D; Dawson 35 AST, 4 D; Hall 5 aces, 18 K, 4 B, 2 D; Hatcher 1 AST, 12 D; J. Williams 2 aces; Casenelli 6 D; Romage 8 K, 2 B, 5 D; Wigal 1 ace, 2 D; Nay 2 D; A. Williams 1 AST, 2 B, 1 D

#3 Ravenswood d. #4 Gilmer County 25-20, 15-25, 25-21

FINAL LKC TEAM PLACEMENT

1. South Harrison

2. Wirt County

3. Ravenswood

4. Gilmer County

5. Roane County

6. Williamstown

NOTES: South Harrison won its first LKC championship. ... Ravenswood established a new school record for wins in a season with 37, while Anna Casto became the school's all-time leader in career points scored.

Starting at /week.