Columbia – Saturday at high noon was the volleyball version of an old western showdown as
blue bloods Dorman and Wando high schools met for the sixth time with a state championship on
the line. For the fifth time Dorman came out on top, beating Wando 3-1 to capture its fourth AAAAA
title and 15th overall under head coach Paula Kirkland.
The 15th title moved Dorman into a tie for second with Pickens for the most state volleyball
championships. Bishop England is the state and national leader with 29 after defeating Landrum
3-0 in the AA final on Saturday.
“It never gets old,” said Kirkland when asked how it felt to win another state championship.
“Give Wando a lot of credit. That was the first time all year that we went to four sets in a match,
so I was proud of how my girls responded. Wando came out strong and put us on our heels a little
bit in the first set. We made a couple of adjustments and got our hands on a lot more of their balls.
When you can slow down their big hitters you can run a better offense.”
Set 1 was a back-and-forth battle as neither team could get more than a 2-point advantage.
Then with the score 19-18 Wando, the Lady Warriors’ Bridey Potter stepped up to serve and scored
four points to put them up 23-19. During the run, Addi Krieger had a big kill to start the run.
The teams traded points and the Lady Warriors won the first set 25-21.
“I’m so proud of this young team” said Wando head coach Alexis Glover. “Hats off to Dorman
and their tradition of winning. They had a great night and I thought we had a great night as well.
I’m proud of the way we fought but we started to doubt ourselves in the second set, and you
can’t do that as an athlete.”
In the second set, Dorman came out more determined and focused as Ryleigh Willard scored
five points on her serve with two aces to stake the Lady Cavaliers to a 5-1 lead. Carly O’Brien
had a big kill during the run. O’Brien was dominant at the net all night, and when not at the
net, she made plays all over the court.
Down 7-2, Wando made a run to get back in the match when Potter scored three points on her
serve, making the score 8-5. The Lady Cavaliers increased the lead steadily though and finally closed
it out at 25-20.
Set 3 was all Dorman as Sarah Mitchell and Ramsey Chastain scored 10 points on their
Serves, and O’Brien scored three points to close out the set 25-14.
Set 4 was another back-and-forth affair as neither team could gain an advantage until
Wando’s Katie Clerc gave the Lady Warriors a 13-11 lead after scoring four points on her serve,
including one ace.
Tied 15-15, the Lady Cavaliers finally took the lead when O’Brien scored two points on her
serve with Reese Shugart getting a big kill for a 17-16 lead. Kayla O’Brien gave the Lady
Cavaliers a 2-point lead on her serve at 20-18 and then Willard served out the set for a 25-21
Win that gave the Lady Cavaliers their 15th championship.
The Lady Cavaliers finished the year 35-7 while the Lady Warriors finished at 26-12-4.
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