Washington County remains the dominant force in Maryland volleyball

Washington County reaffirmed itself as the dominant force in Maryland high school volleyball on Saturday.

For the second time ever, three county schools won the MPSSAA state championships in the same season, with Boonsboro (Class 1A), Williamsport (Class 2A) and North Hagerstown (Class 3A) emerging victorious. In 2012, Smithsburg (1A), Williamsport (2A) and North (3A) accomplished the feat.

The county has won at least two state titles in one season seven times, including six times since 2011, including each of the past three years. In the past 15 years of hosting the state tournament, county teams have won an impressive 24 championships and boast an even more stunning record of 22-0 in state finals against out-of-county opponents.

The county has won seven state championships over the past three seasons, with North winning three times in 3A, Clear Spring winning 1A titles in 2022 and 2023, and Williamsport and Boonsboro capturing titles this year. That is the most championships in a three-year period in the history of the province.

“It says a lot about our development programs and the programs around Hagerstown,” Hubs coach Lacie Johnson said. “The younger girls look up to these girls and all the other players from different county teams, and I think that’s the reason our programs continue to be so successful, because they want to be a part of that. That’s a great part of volleyball in Washington County.”

The county primarily owned Class 1A, winning that title 32 times in the past 43 seasons with a state tournament, including each of the last 10 times. In 2023 and 2024, two provincial teams met to decide the championship.

Here’s a closer look at each of the three state championship teams this season:

High School Football Playoffs: Boonsboro advances to the state quarterfinals

Boonsboro: A 40-year drought is coming to an end

The Warriors (17-3) entered this season with state championship aspirations despite only two trips to the state tournament in program history, including their only state title way back in 1984.

Apparently they knew what they were capable of.

By late September, Boonsboro had shown itself to be a serious contender by winning the Oakdale tournament, taking perennial contender Smithsburg to five sets, coming back from two sets down to stun Williamsport and then beating two-time defending 1A champion Clear Spring in four sets to beat. sets.

“At the beginning of the season we wanted to win, but the more we played, we played together more and we kept getting better,” said junior setter Aly Phillips. “We have gained that trust for ourselves.”

The Warriors took North Hagerstown to five sets in a late regular-season match – the first county team to come this close to beating the Hubs since 2018. Then Boonsboro emerged from a tough 1A West Region II with wins over five sets on the road. in Smithsburg and previously undefeated South Carroll.

“We really wanted to represent our community with Warrior pride and come out and be competitive,” coach Shelby Wallace said. “We have been preparing for this moment. Our mental toughness is something we have been working on for several months.”

Boonsboro rolled through its three state tournament matches without dropping a set, highlighted by a 25-22, 25-19, 25-15 dethronement of Clear Spring for the championship in front of a packed group of parents, teachers, classmates and other Warriors fans.

“Over the years, our culture has grown closer and bigger,” said senior outside hitter Rosslyn Briggs. “This was the year we all came together in Boonsboro.”

“Everything comes at you at once and it’s hard to take it all in at once,” senior libero Breann Reed said. “It just makes me happy. My heart is full because I’m here with the team, and this is the dream team for me. We’re here, we did it and it makes me so happy.”

Williamsport: Wildcats extend state record

For the five seniors on the Williamsport volleyball team, Saturday’s 2A championship match against another historic state power in Centennial was all about writing their own chapter in the Wildcats’ storied history.

“When I came in as a freshman when the team won in 2021, I thought, ‘I want to be that person on that court one day,’” libero Elizabeth Warren said. “I think that motivated all the seniors here.”

“To see them win states in 2021 and see all the passion and atmosphere here, that’s what I was looking forward to,” said middle hitter Ticcara Sumlin, “and that’s what I fought for, what we all fought for, that spark and that passion.”

Williamsport (15-5) entered Saturday ranked No. 1 in state history with 16 championships, while Centennial was No. 2 with 15. The Wildcats extended their state record with a four-set win over the Eagles.

“Going against Centennial, we didn’t want to be associated with them,” Sumlin said. “We wanted to keep our record.”

All four of Williamsport’s winningest coaches were in attendance Saturday, with six-time champion Cindy Neugebauer and five-time champion Emily Crabtree, now athletic director, helping to hang the state title medals around the necks of this year’s Wildcats. Current coach Karen Moyer won her fourth championship.

Williamsport won its first four games of the season and then went 1-4 over its next five games, including losses to county rivals Boonsboro, North Hagerstown, Smithsburg and Clear Spring. The Wildcats were 10-1 the rest of the season, pointing to sweeps of Spring Mills (W.Va.) in the regular season and Smithsburg in the small-school Central Maryland Conference title game as turning points.

“That gave us the confidence we needed going into the end of our season … and going into the playoffs,” setter Emerson Shank said. “Last year we were in the state semifinals, we knew what it took to get to this place and we were ready to take the title.”

“Spring Mills was the first game where I felt like we all played cohesively,” Hampton said. “Everyone was on their game, they trusted each other and we were able to play a really good game and build from there.”

North Hagerstown: Achieved a three-peat

The Hubs (19-1) continue to prove the skeptics – and sometimes even themselves – wrong.

“After losing six seniors (before the 2023 season), I really didn’t expect to win last year or this year,” senior libero Sydney Wilt said.

Last year, North repeated against a favored, previously undefeated and significantly larger team in Arundel as 3A state champions in three tight sets. This year, facing another bigger side in Thomas S. Wootton, the Hubs went to the championship again, and this time it was much more decisive. It also completed a playoff run in which North did not drop a set.

“A lot of teams in 3A are big, tall, they’re going to be more physical at the net and we’re on the smaller side,” Wilt said. “But we’re going even faster.”

“I have a lot of confidence in this team,” senior middle hitter Nevaeh Ware said. “I know if we mess up a point, we’ll push it to the back of our minds and move on to the next point.”

North earned its first-ever three-peat, which marks the fourth series of championships by a county volleyball team. The Hubs’ six titles since 2011 rank second in the state, trailing only the seven Smithsburg won during that span.

“All the (county) schools push each other. We always talk about the net and push each other,” senior Baylee Doolan said. “Someone may be the top team, but we want to try to beat them. We push each other to be the best we can be.”

The main storyline for much of North’s season was the loss of Doolan to a torn ACL in the preseason, and how the rest of the Hubs would step up in her absence. Her younger sister, junior outside hitter Caydence Doolan – who was the 2023 county player of the year – took her game to another level, becoming only the third county player to average more than six kills per year since the start of the season set made in one season. rally score in 2002.

“I’m not just playing for myself, but for my team and my sister,” Caydence Doolan said. “People who have been in her position, I want to be able to show her that we will get her back. We’re not going to give up just because she’s out, we’re going to keep going after it. “

North also extended its winning streak against provincial opponents to 34 games, dating back to 2018.

This article originally appeared in The Herald-Mail: Washington County high school volleyball is still dominant in Maryland