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Wirt County volleyball advances to Class A state final

By Jay W. Bennett 7 min read

CHARLESTON -- Simone Hall’s block gave Lia Casenelli match point here Tuesday night inside Vandalia Health Coliseum as top-seeded and defending Class A state champion Wirt County eliminated fourth-seeded Gilmer County via a 25-18, 25-21 and 25-17 sweep.

The Tigers (33-9-1) now will square off against No. 2 seed East Hardy at 9 a.m. Thursday for the state championship. The Cougars won their only state title in school history back in 2016 by defeating the Tigers, but the orange and black knocked off the Cougars in the final match of the season in both 2020 and 2024.

Wirt County received match-highs of five aces from Jasmine Williams, 35 assists by Breigyn Dawson and a baker’s dozen kills from Sophie Romage, who double-doubled with 10 digs.

The Titans of head coach Chelsea Stickelman, who finished the campaign at 25-13-1 and fell to the Tigers in last year’s title match, had an early 5-3 lead in the opening set thanks in part to a trio of kills from Kenley Hartshorn, Kendall Frashure and libero Emeri Hickman.

The Tigers proceeded to go on a 12-2 spurt that was partially fueled by aces from Dawson, Cate Wigal and Jasmine Williams. Although the Titans eventually cut the deficit to 21-18 via a Kaelyn Mullins kill, Jasmine Williams served for the final three points of the set, which included a pair of aces.

Ari White’s solo block of Peyten McKown had set two square at five, but the Tigers took control by scoring seven straight points. Dawson had two aces in the run, McKown had a kill and Romage put a pair to the floor.

Once again, the Titans refused to quit and clawed all the way back to 21-20 after a Mullins ace and a Tiger attack error, but the top seed was able to hold on thanks to a Brook Mills tip kill on set point.

Wirt County took the lead for good in the final set at 10-9 when a ball was passed across the net and dropped on the Titans’ side.

“Definitely top to bottom good team effort,” admitted WCHS head coach Katie Frazier. “It takes every single person and we stress that. Our defense was pretty good for the most part. Our setting was good. Breigyn’s really been working a lot these last few weeks. My middles did a good job shutting (them) down. We were really concerned about Gilmer and their middles and especially anything going right side, so we really stressed that. Addi did a really good job and Peyten did too, of course. The outsides were really strong.

“That’s where we go a lot and we try to incorporate our middles as much as we can, too. Sophie did a really good job and Simone, too. We always stress to the girls like put yourselves in the best possible position and they’ve done that pretty much up to this point in the year. That was just a big stresser going into tonight. Control what you can, stay together, do your job and hopefully things fall into place from there. Excited to be back in Charleston for the last day.”

McKown led the Tigers with a quartet of blocks and chipped in six kills, while libero Mya Hatcher had 14 digs.

The Titans received 12 assists from Maggie Snider and were led by Mullins’ seven kills. Hartshorn and White had a half dozen downed spikes apiece.

“They showed up this season and they showed what grit is about,” said Stickelman, who graduates Gainer, Mullins and Lacy Canfield. “They showed what hard work is all about and what great teammates they are. Losing sucks. You hate to lose. No matter what you hate to lose, but I told them if we’re going to lose we might as well lose in Charleston.

“We had to get to Charleston and they did. They made it two games in when everybody counted them out. They are teammates first. They support each other and I think that’s what got us here. We’re excited for next season.”

In the early morning quarterfinals, the Tigers breezed past No. 8 Pendleton County 25-15, 25-12 and 25-9 in what was a rematch of last year’s opening round.

Addi Williams tallied a match-high five aces, Casenelli had a quartet while Rayann Nay served up a pair. Dawson double-doubled with match-highs of 27 assists and 11 digs while Hall and McKown led the attack with nine kills apiece. Romage chipped in seven kills, three blocks and five digs.

PCHS, which ended its season at 15-18, was led by Colbie Wilmer’s eight downed spikes. Vaylee Harper registered nine assists while Alyssa Bennett had an ace and five kills.

No. 5 Ritchie County’s upset bid of fourth-seeded Gilmer County came up short 25-22, 25-19 and 25-20.

The Rebels used aces by Chelsie Jeffrey and Zoey Lamp along with a Vanessa Burgy kill to grab an early 8-5 lead in set one. Gilmer County grabbed its first advantage at 15-14 after a Hartshorn kill and a Gainer ace. A 16-all tie was broken by a Hartshorn tip kill as White’s block on Henger resulted in set point.

Ritchie County had a brief 2-1 advantage in set two when Raelyn Snider assisted on Ava Satterfield’s kill. The set was even at 14 after a Lamp ace, but Frashure responded with a kill to put the Titans in front to stay.

In set three, the Rebels had consecutive kills by Satterfield and Henger to jump ahead 3-1 and it was still 9-7 Ritchie County after a kill by Jeffrey, but White had back-to-back downed spikes, which made it 11-10 Titans, as Snyder followed with five straight service line tallies that included a pair of aces. Snyder’s 11th assist came on match point when White recorded her ninth kill.

Mullins finished with a match-high dozen kills while Bristol Woodford had 14 assists. Jeffrey and Burgy paced the Rebels with eight and six kills, respectively, while Snider had a match-high 19 assists.

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com

W.Va. State Volleyball Tournament, Class A

Quarterfinals at Vandalia Health Coliseum

Gilmer County d. Ritchie County 25-22, 25-19, 25-20

#5 Ritchie County (18-13) stats: Chelsie Jeffrey 6 pts, 1 ace, 1 AST, 8 K; Zoey Lamp 7 pts, 3 aces; Abbigayl Cox 2 pts, 1 K; Sophie Henger 4 pts, 3 K; Raelyn Snider 6 pts, 1 ace, 19 AST, 1 K; Emma Waugaman 1 pt; Vanessa Burgy 6 K; Ava Satterfield 3 K

#4 Gilmer County (25-12-1) stats: Ari White 6 pts, 9 K; Emeri Hickman 6 pts; Kaelyn Mullins 11 pts, 1 ace, 12 K; Maggie Snyder 9 pts, 2 aces, 11 AST; Kennedy Gainer 1 pt, 1 ace, 3 K; Kenley Hartshorn 1 pt, 1 ace, 5 K; Bristol Woodford 14 AST; Kendall Frashure 3 K

Wirt County d. Pendleton County 25-15, 25-12, 25-9

#8 Pendleton County (15-18) stats: Colbie Wimer 8 K; Vaylee Harper 2 pts, 9 AST, 1 K; Alyssa Bennett 1 pt, 1 ace, 5 K; Kinsley Price 1 pt, 1 K; Tia Heavner 2 K; Phoebe Pownell 2 pts, 3 AST; Azalea Waddell 1 pt

#1 Wirt County (32-9-1) stats: Addi Williams 16 pts, 5 aces, 1 AST, 1 K, 2 B, 4 D; Simone Hall 9 K, 1 B, 3 D; Breigyn Dawson 27 AST, 1 K, 11 D; Cate Wigal 3 pts, 1 ace; Lia Casenelli 9 pts, 4 aces, 6 D; Jasmine Williams 5 pts, 1 ace; Rayann Nay 8 pts, 2 aces; Mya Hatcher 7 D; Peyten McKown 2 AST, 9 K, 5 B; Brook Mills 3 K, 2 D; Sophie Romage 7 K, 3 B, 5 D

#2 East Hardy d. #7 Summit Christian 25-8, 25-13, 18-25, 25-17

#3 Madonna d. #6 Greenbrier West 25-16, 19-25, 25-8, 26-24

Semifinals

Wirt County d. Gilmer County 25-18, 25-21, 25-17

#4 Gilmer County (25-13-1) stats: White 3 pts, 6 K; Snyder 3 pts, 12 AST, 1 K; Gainer 5 pts, 1 ace, 2 K; Hickman 3 pts, 1 AST, 1 K; Mullins 6 pts, 1 ace, 7 K; Hartshorn 4 pts, 6 K; Woodford 10 AST, 1 K; Frashure 3 K

#1 Wirt County (33-9-1) stats: A. Williams 4 pts, 1 AST, 4 B, 1 D; Dawson 11 pts, 4 aces, 35 AST, 3 K, 8 D; Wigal 8 pts, 2 aces; J. Williams 9 pts, 5 aces; Hall 1 pt, 10 K, 2 B, 9 D; Casenelli 6 pts, 6 D; Nay 2 pts; McKown 1 AST, 6 K, 4 B; Mills 3 K, 2 D; Hatcher 14 D; Romage 13 K, 4 B, 10 D

#2 East Hardy d. #3 Madonna 25-18, 25-13, 25-21

Class AA, Quarterfinals

#5 Charleston Catholic d. #4 Oak Glen 22-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-20

#1 Wheeling Central d. #8 Independence 25-10, 25-12, 25-9

#2 Philip Barbour d. #7 Wayne 25-17, 25-13, 25-18

#3 James Monroe d. #6 South Harrison 25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 25-15

Semifinals

#1 Wheeling Central d. #5 Charleston Catholic 25-23, 25-20, 25-17

#2 Philip Barbour d. #3 James Monroe 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 25-18

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