CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A spirited and tight contest is almost ensured when Oak Glen and Philip Barbour do battle in volleyball.
One of the two teams has played for a Class AA state championship annually since 2015, while the two squads split title matches each of the last years.
So when the Colts won the opening set of Thursday’s Class AA final at the Charleston Coliseum, there was no panic on the part of Oak Glen.
Instead, the Golden Bears, well aware they’d face a stern challenge, locked in and won three straight sets to claim a 19-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-23 victory for their second state championship in three years and third since 2019.
“We knew coming in it was going to be a tough match. It always is with PB,” Oak Glen coach Morgan Saddler said. “Our girls stuck with the game plan, they played for each other and with all the teamwork in the world. We were able to get it done.”
The first set was tight throughout and tied at 17, though the second-seeded Colts (44-12-2) were in front for much of it and closed with the final four points to open up what had been a 21-19 lead.
“Keep our composure, keep the energy high and play Oak Glen volleyball,” Saddler said of her message to the team between the first and second games.
OGHS (28-10-3) answered back despite facing deficits of 7-4 and 9-6 in the second game. The Golden Bears seized momentum after gaining a 13-12 lead, and increased it not long after to 18-13 before finishing the job to pull even at one set apiece.
The Golden Bears avoided an early deficit in the third game, racing out to leads of 9-4 and 11-6. As expected, PB came charging back and got to within 12-10, though Oak Glen again answered in pressure-packed situations and stretched its lead to 18-12.
Yet just as it appeared the Golden Bears were on the verge of a 2-1 lead, PB battled back from a 21-16 deficit and was to within 24-22 after Izzy Knotts accounted for a kill and ace for consecutive points for the Colts.
With the Colts threatening to extend the third set, Oak Glen got a timely kill from Brooklyn Six to polish off the three-point win and go on top, 2-1.
“They’re extremely scrappy,” Saddler said of the Colts. “Heather [Halfin] does a great job, they’re a well-coached team and I expect nothing less than a battle every time we meet.”
Having built momentum from their first lead of the match, the Golden Bears carried it into the fourth game and took a 5-0 lead.
Yet before Oak Glen could notch a 10th point, the Colts had battled back to make it 9-all. That would be a theme the rest of the way and the fourth set wound up tied at 18, 19, 21 and 23. The last tie (at 23) came after the Colts were in front 23-21, but the Golden Bears would close with four straight points to prevail. A kill from Averi Martin gave OGHS the 24-23 advantage, before Brayley Lash delivered an ace to finish things off.
FINAL: Oak Glen 3, Philip Barbour 1
Golden Bears score final three points of fourth set to win 25-23 and wrap up Class AA championship. pic.twitter.com/F4eYFwStCE
— Greg Carey (@gcarey938) November 13, 2025
“We lost by two points last year and it’s haunted us ever since,” Martin said. “We knew what we had to do coming in. We didn’t like how it felt last year and we wanted this.”