By Stephen Smoot
Ask the Pendleton County volleyball squad what their favorite dance is?
It’s not the twist.
It’s neither the Watusi nor the Batusi.
It’s not the macarena or whatever hippity hop dance most kids are doing these days.
It’s definitely, indubitably, the Charleston because they have four straight trips to the state capital to compete with the best in West Virginia Class A. (Last year in Institute is technically metro Charleston!)
And if they find success there, they may owe it all to Paw Paw. Not their grandfathers, mind you, but a plucky band of Pirates who set their faces toward making Pendleton County wins over them as difficult as possible.
Last month, the Wildcats got all they wanted in Morgan County from a team that pushed them to the limit in each set and even swiped one, as Pirates will. Last week saw a Wildcat team play with more patience as it beat the Pirates in regional play. With the double elimination rule in place, once again Paw Paw made the trek to Franklin.
To recap, Paw Paw may have the best player in Class A in Shayla Tanouye. She both sets and spikes with precision and has a superior ability to “hit it where they ain’t.” Tanouye provides the scoring punch while the rest of the team brings average offense, but stellar defense. Finding holes in their side, even with aggressive spiking, is difficult until Paw Paw wears down.
Their short bench has no experience, so the team on the floor is the team that remains on the floor.
With each meeting, the Wildcats got better at covering their side of the floor, developing consistency in sets and other plays. Maddie Day, head coach, shared that “they’ve been working really, really hard in practice” and in the regional final, ran plays at a high and mature level.
Set one opened with Paw Paw serving. In Morgan County, they ran out to big leads in nearly every set early on. The Wildcats set a strong tone with the first set. Breena Bowers fielded the serve, passed it to Carolyn Varner, who then provided a perfect set for a Laney Bowers spike and a 1-0 lead.
Paw Paw struck back early and took a 2-1 advantage, but then watched the Wildcats explode on an 11 to one run. Then, and much of the night, Pendleton County benefited from tight play and strong focus. Brynlynn Waggy delivered a vicious spike to break a 3-3 tie. Callie Judy received the serve and the next score came when Alyssa Bennett popped the ball up for Judy to set Waggy up for yet another spike to the back line.
Wildcat spikers tend to avoid trying to spike straight down on the opposing players at the net, preferring to angle high-velocity shots across the court. Mixing in misdirecting hits and light taps keeps the defense off-balance.
Paw Paw tried to gain momentum back in the middle of the set, scoring three consecutive, to pull within 14-8. Coach Day in an earlier matchup emphasized to not allow the other team more than three in a row. Pendleton County responded with four straight of its own, Bowers shots helping with two scores.
Set one ended with a 25-16 win as Breena Bowers pushed the ball to Chesnee Colaw, who set up a Waggy shot to the middle.
Set two opened with a serve from Bennett. She led all West Virginia high school players in all classes with 126 aces, serves with no return by the opponent, on the year, according to the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission. No ace this time, but Colaw’s hit was not returned and the Wildcats took the initial point.
Paw Paw dug in early. Kinsley Price, whose presence grew larger as the game wore on, took a Varner set and fired it off the hands of a Pirate. Paw Paw tied it at two with an ace of their own. Emily Poling fielded a Pirate shot, passed the ball to Varner, who set up Price for a spike and a 3-2 advantage.
The Pirates tied it at three, but a spike from Colbie Wimer put the Wildcats up 4-3. The teams kept battling with Pendleton County pulling ahead and Paw Paw doggedly catching up.
The Pirates knotted the set at seven with an ace, but the Wildcats pulled ahead a bit. A Bennett spike, followed by a Colaw ace put the home team up by a narrow two-point margin, but then the Wildcats executed a six to two run to set the score at 15-9. Bennett scored an ace in the run that hit nothing but floor.
Paw Paw pulled within five at 15-10, but the Wildcats locked the door on any further comebacks. The Pirates only scored five more as Pendleton County ran away with the rest of the set.
In set three, Paw Paw opened with a serve and an early 2-1 lead. Varner set up a Wimer spike to tie the game after one of the many very long volley exchanges that took place during the game. On one of the shots back to Paw Paw, Price contorted her body at the net, facing away from it, but hitting the ball backwards over to the other side.
Pirate pride kept pace with the home team for a while, even as their hopes for a victory in the game dimmed considerably. An ace from Price extended the early Wildcat lead to 6-2, but Paw Paw scored the next three.
A soft tap to the middle from Waggy ended the mini run. Wimer assumed the serve shortly thereafter. Her line drive serves kept Paw Paw off-balance and let the Wildcats take advantage. Phoebe Pownell set up a Waggy spike, then the next play the same dynamic happened to set the score at 12-6. Paw Paw later rattled off three straight, but then a Bennett spike ended the run at 13-9. On the next play, Price again fired a backwards hit into the defense. This time Paw Paw could not send it back.
The set and game ended when Pownell served two aces, concluding the set at 25-15.
The Wildcats advanced to the state tournament where they played Wirt County Wednesday morning.
