Wheeling Central Claims First-Ever State Volleyball Title
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CHARLESTON -- The Wheeling Central Maroon Knights have history in their hands as they drove up I-77 Thursday with their school's first-ever state volleyball championship in-tow after defeating Philip Barbour in five climactic sets in the WVSSAC Class AA state finals inside the Charleston Coliseum.
"Super excited. The girls made history today, so you couldn't ask for more from them," Wheeling Central head coach Grace White said after the victory.
Wheeling Central, seeded atop the Class AA state tournament field, won the first set against No. 2 Philip Barbour, who took down the Maroon Knights in last season's state semifinals. The Colts, though, galloped ahead to win the next two sets and put Wheeling Central's backs against the wall.
With no room for error, the Knights didn't blink. A victory in the fourth set brought the decisive, abbreviated fifth set onto the court at the Charleston Coliseum, where Central's Teagan Peters put down the match-clinching final kill to grant the Maroon Knights their first-ever state title.
In all, each set was closely contested, Central coming away with a 25-22, 21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13 victory.
"They just battled," White said of her team. "I think we got knocked around a little bit in those two sets, and they had the momentum. They had the game in their hands. As soon as we got back on track a little bit with us and we started playing like ourselves, I felt like we were in a really good position from that fourth set on."
Teagan Peters led the team in kills Thursday, the sophomore totaling 21 along with three blocks. Senior Remy Peters finished with 16 kills, and junior Jackie Maxwell had 11 kills.
Senior Olivia Stephens led the team with 18 digs, followed by junior Chloe Groome with 12, to go along with 51 assists.
Stephens, Remy Peters and Emma Dean were the three elder stateswomen on the Maroon Knights, and White was glad to give her senior trio a storybook ending.
"We couldn't have sent our seniors out a better way," White said. "I know they wanted this. All the girls-- they wanted this for themselves, and they wanted it for them. Just super proud of all of them. They're a great group, they're a fun group, excited to celebrate with them."
White was also complimentary of the fan turnout inside the Charleston Coliseum.
"They showed up today," White said of Central's fan support. "We had a ton of people there and I feel like the girls felt that in those moments where they needed a little extra boost. We had not just that one section, but multiple sections filled up. I think that it helped them bounce back in those moments where they needed it."
Wheeling Central received a warm welcome back to Wheeling on Thursday evening, complete with a pep rally upon their return and a final team dinner.
It is a celebration that White had dreamed about since taking over the volleyball program before last season.
"We've talked about it since coach Erica [Przybysz] and I came into the program two years ago now," White said. "Like, they are very capable of doing this. This is in their future. This is something they can very much do. Last year, coming down as the sixth seed, beating the third seed, then losing to Philip Barbour in four last year to get knocked out, to coming back this year as the first seed and winning-- it's something we talked about, and it's something that the girls knew was a possibility. They were aware of the history, and I think it just pushed them further."
Teagan Peters, Chloe Groome and Olivia Stephens were named to the Class AA All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the championship game.