CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Appearing in the state final for a fourth consecutive season, the agony of defeat to end the 2024 campaign was still somewhat fresh on Morgantown’s mind.
That the Mohigans opposed Hedgesville, the team that denied MHS of repeating as state champion a year ago, only added to an already intriguing storyline.
Thanks to a stellar start and even stronger finish, Morgantown controlled the contest, earning a 25-22, 25-20, 16-25, 25-14 win at the Charleston Coliseum to claim its second state championship in three years.
“The momentum means so much. We talk about gaining momentum a lot during our scout sessions and being able to build point for point,” Mohigans’ coach Abigail Wolfe said.
The Mohigans (36-4-1) prevented the Eagles (41-4-3) from consistently growing comfortable, and although HHS rallied from a 15-10 deficit to knot the opening set at 22, the top seed never scored again and found itself in an early hole.
“Once nerves are gone, you just have to play your game and trust each other,” said MHS sophomore Leah Greeny.
Morgantown, the No. 2 seed, showcased much of what it did well to start the match in the second set, too, building leads of 8-5 and 16-10 before finishing things off to gain the 2-0 advantage.
Hedgesville avoided an early deficit in the third and looked recharged, limiting its mistakes and avoiding the sweep with a 25-16 victory.
“It’s been a joke, but also not a joke most of the season thot we’re not a third set team,” Wolfe said. “We struggle sometimes with keeping the pressure on in the third set, but we always bounce back in the fourth and come out with more fire.”
That was certainly the case in the finale, and any thought of Hedgesville’s momentum carrying over into the fourth game vanished rather quickly. MHS built an early 9-6 lead before putting together its best stretch of the matchup at the most pivotal time and generating six unanswered points.
A kill from Abigail Paulsen left MHS with a 19-10 lead, and the Eagles made a costly service error while faced with a 21-13 deficit, all but ending any hope.
“We’ve made it to the championship every year that I’ve been here,” said MHS senior Paige Brink, “so to be able to say we’ve won it twice is a really big accomplishment, especially now that it’s 4A.”