Parkersburg libero Olivia Perkins (1) gets ready to serve during a high school volleyball match against Ritchie County earlier this season at Memorial Fieldhouse.
(Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg High School volleyball team not only captured the Mountain State Athletic Conference championship last month inside Memorial Fieldhouse, but Big Red senior libero Olivia Perkins was named the player of the year.
“I am so excited for Olivia for player of the year. She deserves all of that recognition and more,” admitted PHS boss Erin Thorpe, who watched Perkins collect 52 aces, 328 digs and 490 serve-receptions at nearly 91%. “She’s a hard worker, a great kid and an amazing player. She’s the kind of kid you wish to have in your program as a coach.
“She does everything you ask of her and more, and gives her all every day. It has been an honor to coach Olivia and I’m proud of her for her honors and moving on to play at her dream school (Fairmont State). They’re lucky to have her and she’s going to do great things there.”
The Big Reds, who had Thorpe honored as the coach of the year, finished sixth in pool play before ousting No. 3 George Washington in the quarterfinals. PHS then knocked off No. 2 seed Spring Valley and top-seeded Cabell Midland to take the crown for the second time in three seasons.
“It was a complete team effort,” Thorpe added of the Big Reds reigning supreme in the MSAC. “We had to beat great teams to do what we did and those games were not easy. They never gave up and fought hard the whole tournament.
“When we hit that championship match we were dead, but I knew we were well conditioned and their hearts and heads were in the game so I was confident they’d give it their all. It was such an exciting day and a huge win for us.”
Joining Perkins on the first team for the red and white was fellow senior Caelyn Wise, who had 331 kills, 50 aces and 299 digs.
MSAC runner-up Cabell Midland was represented on the first team by Jillian Yost.
George Washington’s Ava Katz and Tylie Barton also earned nods on the first team.
The only other program with two players on the first unit was Spring Valley, which was represented by Sydney Turner and Lilly Adkins.
Hurricane’s Claire Wheeler and Huntington’s Mallori Dunn-Martin rounded out the first team.
Kennedy Porter of the Big Reds landed a spot on the second team alongside Hurricane’s Reese Parsons, George Washington’s Reva Sangrampurkar and Spring Valley’s Kiki Brumfield. Also making the second unit were Cabell Midland teammates Katie Vickers and Baylee Smith along with Huntington’s Olivia Bell and Amara Jackson.
Contact Jay Bennett at [email protected]
