CHARLESTON – After finishing the season with a record of 26-10-1, the MHS volleyball team begins the state tournament at Charleston Coliseum this afternoon as the second-seeded out of eight teams.
Led by outside hitter, junior Kaitlyn Anderson and senior Paige Brock, the Mohigans bring a well-rounded style of play to the table. The mix of a fast-paced, hard-hitting offense but a patient, disciplined defense is what head coach Erica Manor-Sphar and her players will aim to capitalize on this week.
“We are moving forward with the same mentality we have maintained all season,” said Manor-Sphar. “Play together and focus on the current game, one point at a time.”
A year ago, MHS reached the semifinals before losing 3-1 to eventual state champion Musselman. According to Brock, the team was already looking ahead to the championship before the tournament started and says they won’t make that mistake again.
“Last season we went in worried about the championship game, this year we are focused on each game that is in front of us. We have to get through Spring Valley first,” Brock said, mentioning the opponent for MHS in the quarterfinals.
The Timberwolves enter with a record of 29-11-4 and MHS knows it must play to its strengths to get the job done every single set.
“We have a big team with a lot of depth, so even if we get down we have people to back us up,” Anderson said on Wednesday. “We also have a lot more confidence this year. We have made a statement in OVACs, Sectional, Regionals, and then getting the 2 seed. Just knowing that other people believe that we are the 2 seed is great and helps us believe that we can do this.”
Brock echoed the message of Anderson, crediting the depth and diversity of the team.
“I think that we started out as a very small team and then we had to be flexible and we changed a lot through the season,” she said. “I am super glad that we have found a role for everyone. The bench is so important this year. The bench has been able to step in when necessary through the season and keep us alive.”
Due to illness and various injuries throughout the season, the Mohigans have had to call upon multiple different lineups, including players from the JV squad, to get the job done on the varsity court. Having the experience of mixing players around and them working well together, no matter who is in the game, is a great formula to have for any sport going into a postseason setting.
“We have experienced many faces of adversity through out this season. I believe our greatest strength is having different personnel in various positions and knowing that no matter who is on the court, they are capable of playing together to get the job done,” said Manor-Sphar. “We have several veteran players who have experience playing at states. This gives us a slight advantage as these athletes know the kind of environment they are walking into and can settle into the game more quickly.”
MHS will open the 2022 state volleyball tournament this afternoon against SVHS at 1:30p.m.
If the Mohigans defeat the Timberwolves, they will advance to play in the semifinals at 6:30p.m. against the winner of the #3/#6 game between Hedgesville and Parkersburg. Championships will be played on Thursday beginning at 11a.m.
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