BLACKSVILLE—In recent years, Monongalia County has become an area with some talented volleyball programs at the prep level. These programs range from one of the largest schools in the state in Morgantown High in Class AAAA to one of the smallest schools in Trinity Christian in Class A.
Even during the offseason from high school volleyball, local players from many schools continue playing with club teams in Morgantown and other surrounding areas.
That effort is showing in the product on the court this season, as every team in Monongalia County has a winning record so far in 2024.
Morgantown (21-2) and University (22-4-1) are second and fourth in the newly implemented Class AAAA coaches poll, which is released weekly.
The Cee-Bees (14-6) come in at seventh in Class A, while the Trinity Christian Warriors (18-8-1) hold the eighth position.
“These girls in our area are dedicating themselves to volleyball,” TCS head coach Anna Witt said after two victories Tuesday night at Clay-Battelle. “They’re passionate about the sport, and the talent throughout Morgantown right now is phenomenal. You see it throughout every program here, and it’s fun to be a part of that.”
“There are so many more opportunities for the kids to play now, in Morgantown and outside of Morgantown,” C-B head coach Matthew Wood said. “They travel and play great competition in the offseason and we get flex days now to work with the team so the girls just play a lot of volleyball, and it’s becoming one of the better sports in the area.”
On Tuesday, the Warriors and Cee-Bees each picked up wins over Paden City 2-0 before squaring off against each other for the second time this season in a tri-match hosted by Clay-Battelle.
TCS took the first contest 3-1 on September 17 and earned another hard-fought victory against its rival 2-0 (25-23, 25-16) on Tuesday.
After falling behind early in the first set against the hosts, the Warriors rallied and went home with a pair of wins behind an experienced lineup.
“We have six seniors this year and only lost one girl from last season,” Witt said. “Our leadership is one of our strengths and helps get us over the hump in those sets like the first one tonight where we come out flat and fall behind early. They’re going out every night and giving it all to be where they want to be at the end of their season.”
After the split with TCS and Paden City on Tuesday, Wood says his team has done well in playing to its strengths in the campaign and will look to continue leaning on what’s been bringing success.
“One of our strengths is our serving,” he said. “If we’re having a bad game or the other team is on a run, our service can keep us in the game. We have strong hitters in general and are a very powerful team, so it’s about getting to that point for us. We have to receive well, pass well, and finish well. Trinity is a very experienced and talented team. They responded well to adversity tonight when we could build a little momentum, but no matter what, it’s always a fun game with them, and we learn from it every time.”
The two teams will meet again this weekend as the Cee-Bees host a quad-match with Lewis County and North Marion visiting alongside the Warriors on Saturday.
