photo by: Kim North

Members of the John Marshall volleyball team pose with their W.Va. Class AAA Region I championship trophy after the Monarchs swept past Brooke by scores of 25-11, 25-15 and 25-11 Wednesday night inside the John Marshall Field House in Moundsville. The win advances John Marshall to the state tournament next week in Charleston for the first time since 2017.

MOUNDSVILLE – At the end of last season, Chelsea Eickleberry knew her John Marshall volleyball team had something special ahead.

Wednesday night before a nice-sized crowd inside the John Marshall Field House, the Monarchs (24-8) punched their ticket to the W.Va. Class AAA state tournament for the first time in nearly a decade with a sweep of Brooke, 25-11, 25-15 and 25-11, in the Region I championship match.

John Marshall last made the state tournament in 2017, according to Eickleberry. It will play on Tuesday inside the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum against an undetermined opponent at a time yet to be determined.

“It feels really good,” Eickleberry said of heading to Charleston. “These girls are very deserving of this. This was a goal they set back in June. We did some goal-setting and Charleston is where they wanted to get to. They’ve played great all season and I’m so proud of them.

“I knew at the end of last season that this team had something special if they came together as one,” she admitted. “I knew they could do this and we’ve talked about it a lot. They get along and it has united the team. They want a state championship for the team more than for themselves.”

It didn’t take the Monarchs long to get going against the Bruins (10-20) as they bolted to a 6-0 lead in the first set behind the serving of Bre Defibaugh and the net play of Addison Blake. The hosts gradually pulled away and sealed the deal with seven of the final eight points.

The second set was knotted three times early on before John Marshall made its move. It led 10-5 before Masyn Inclan stepped to the service line. By the time she was finished, the Monarchs had reeled off seven unanswered markers to pull ahead for good.

Brooke threatened with seven straight points – its most in the match – to cut the deficit to 21-14, but the Monarchs strength at the net was just too much.

Deadlocked at 6-all in the third set, John Marshall scored 19 of the final 24 points in advancing on. The Monarchs scored the last nine points to secure the sweep with Inclan once again providing the serving.

Blake led John Marshall with 18 kills, while Sarah Naome added nine and Nia Miller eight. Sarah Hess continued the add to her assist total with 26 as she has well over 1,000 for her career. Inclan charted eight digs, three more than Kaylee White. Defibaugh finished with three aces.

“Addison is so strong. She is one of the strongest hitters on the team,” Eickleberry said. “She hits the ball consistently and they are staying in. I’m proud of how hard she has worked focusing on that.

“Sarah Hess is one of the best setters in the state,” the coach continued. “The last I checked she was ranked No. 1 in Class AAA and in the top 5 among all classes. She is a phenomenal setter.”

The state pairings will be announced by the West Virginia Secondary Schools Athletic Commission when all the regional tournaments have been completed.