Oak Glen back at state volleyball tournament
By RICK?THORP, Special to the Herald-StarCHARLESTON - For one team, it's a welcome return. For another, it's uncharted territory.
Oak Glen and Wheeling Park will be playing in this weekend's West Virginia High School Volleyball Tournament. And the experience levels of the two programs couldn't be more different.
On one hand you have Wheeling Park, making its first state appearance. And on the other hand, you have Oak Glen, the defending Class AA champion and a three-time winner (2008, 1998, 1997) and three-time runner-up (1980, 2000, 2006) in the tournament.
For veteran Golden Bears coach Ethel Riser, she's pleased to see the Patriots get their shot at a state crown.
"It's good for the area as a whole,'' she said.
Fifth-year Patriots coach Courtney Redilla is proud to part of an historic moment of Wheeling Park athletics lore.
"It's really exhilarating,'' Redilla said. "The kids are very excited.''
Both teams will hit the court at the Charleston Civic Center on Friday for first-round matches.
Oak Glen will face Liberty-Raleigh immediately following the 8:30 a.m. Class AA opener between Frankfort and Tolsia. Wheeling Park will tangle with Greenbrier East 30 minutes following the Bridgeport-Spring Valley Class AAA quarterfinal, which starts at 1:30 p.m.
Oak Glen has a mix of youth and experience on its roster.
The Golden Bears stand at an impressive 35-6-2 heading to state, a record made more impressive if one looks at their schedule.
"I'd say we play very few (West Virginia) Class AA schools,'' Riser said. "Most of the schedule is AAA in West Virginia and big schools in Ohio.
"To be the best you have to play the best.''
Oak Glen, which won the OVAC Class AAA crown last month, earned another trip to state by virtue of a three-set triumph against Ravenswood in a regional semifinal. The Golden Bears then topped Ritchie County in the final in a five-set thriller.
"They're not going down (to Charleston) to just have a good time, they are going down to win a state tournament,'' Riser said of her team.
Oak Glen has three seniors on the team, along with three sophomores and three freshmen.
"It's really awesome,'' Riser said of how the younger players have contributed. "You can't sell them short. They've worked against the starters last season in practice.
"The players who replaced the six seniors have stepped up to the plate and played hard.''
The oak Glen roster consists of seniors Rainelle Dunlevy, Emily McElhaney and Mackenzie Bailey, juniors Caitlyn Asbury and Emily Frederick, sophomores Tayler Maxwell, Payden Eckleberry and Siera Hardy, and freshmen Raegan Headley, Abby Tice and Lacee Porter.
"If you're good enough to play varsity, it doesn't matter what grade you're in,'' Riser said.
Riser is unfamiliar with Liberty-Raleigh, but she's confident her team will be ready.
"It's just like with the OVAC (Tournament), you have to practice your normal game and prepare yourself to play anyone,'' she said. "The kids are playing well right now and when they're clicking.''
Redilla believes the best way to prepare is to simply do what's gotten them to this point - work hard.
The Patriots head to Charleston with a 14-14 record. While that might not look impressive, Park has played one of the toughest Class AAA schedules in the state. That, Redilla believes, has contributed to her team's late-season success.
"We play a lot of good teams in the OVAC and we tend to play a lot of Ohio teams that are very good,'' she said. ''We always want to play a tough schedule, because when you do that it helps you down the road.''
Postseason tournaments haven't been kind to the Patriots in recent seasons.
Park opened sectional play with a victory against rival John Marshall before falling to University in the sectional title tilt.
Both the sectional champ and runner-up advance to regional play. And with regional competition taking place at Wheeling Park High School, the home team was confident about its chances.
The Patriots topped Preston in the semifinals to earn a date with East Fairmont in the finals and secure a state-tournament berth. Both the regional champion and runner-up move on to state.
"The girls went out and had a game plan in mind and did what was in that game plan,'' Redilla said of the victory against Preston. "We had kids come off the bench for starters that were sick and they took over and helped us to a big victory.''
The Bees, who had upset top-seeded University in the other regional semifinal in five sets, were also stretched to five by the Patriots. East Fairmont won again, but Park had already punched its ticket to Charleston.
"The girls knew we had been having trouble closing out sectionals,'' Redilla said. "And once we advanced to the regionals we knew we had a shot. And to get a state berth is great for the kids.''
The Patriots lost six seniors from last season, but returned this fall with a team comprised of both experience and youth.
Key performers include seniors Elizabeth Scammell, Angela Johnson and Mel McNamara, along with juniors Heather Hollandsworth, Chelsea Strong and Megan Ball, sophomore Jalena Marshall and freshman Emily Puskarich.
''The starters are extremely hard workers and all the players who come off the bench also work very hard,'' Redilla said. "They all have strong-willed attitudes and play very well together.''
West Virginia High School Volleyball Tournament
(at Charleston Civic Center)
Class AAA
Friday
Court 2
Game 1: Musselman vs. Parkersburg, 8:30 a.m.
Game 2: East Fairmont vs. Woodrow Wilson, following Game 1
Game 3: Bridgeport vs. Spring Valley, 1:30 p.m.
Game 4: Wheeling Park vs. Greenbrier East, following Game 3
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, following Game 5
Saturday
Game 7: championship, following Class AA final
Class AA
Friday
Court 1
Game 1: Frankfort vs. Tolsia, 8:30 a.m.
Game 2: Oak Glen vs. Liberty-Raleigh, following Game 1
Game 3: Philip Barbour vs. Wayne, 1:30 p.m.
Game 4: Ritchie County vs. Summers County, following Game 3
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, following Game 5
Saturday
Game 7: championship, 10 a.m.
