The OVAC volleyball championships get underway today as semifinal round matches kick off across the valley.

Teams made a late-hour dash last week to accumulate as many points as possible by Thursday’s cut-off date.

Pairings were announced during the weekend. A new champion will be crowned in both Class 3A and 1A as Shenandoah failed to qualify in 3A and defending 1A champion Wellsville moved up to Class AA, setting up a potential finals showdown against top-seed and defending 2A champion Caldwell.

Defending 4A and West Virginia Class 2A champion Oak Glen returns to defend its crown, earning the top-seed after a competitive week.

The Golden Bears began that mad dash with first-place well in hand. Still, they featured a slate against Class 3A top-seeded Union Local and 4A’s second-seeded East Liverpool Potters, the Bears’ victim in the 2023 OVAC 4A finale.

Oak Glen was slightly off its game vs. the Jets, falling 3-1 but quickly rebounded with an equally dominant 3-1 against East Liverpool in a potential preview of Saturday’s 4A finale.

The Golden Bears, led by senior McKenzi Martin, along with juniors Averi Martin and Brooklyn Six, will face No. 4 seed Harrison Central tonight in New Manchester.

The Huskies (12-7) qualified for the tournament in head coach Grade Godich’s first year in charge. To advance, Harrison will need to first advance past perennial power Oak Glen, then take care of either No. 3 East Liverpool or No. 2 Beaver Local.

The Potters swept the Huskies 3-0 twice this season, with the Beavers first sweeping Harrison 3-0 before hanging out 3-2 back on September 23.

Oak Glen also owns a 3-1 victory against Beaver.

Class 2A

With top-ranked Caldwell and No. 2 Wellsvlle on opposite sides of the bracket, 2A has the potential for an epic showdown in Saturday’s finale.

The defending champion Redskins (18-2) host No. 4 Clay-Battelle (15-5) first. The Cee-Bees edged No. 5 Catholic Central by a narrow margin, 34.90 to 33.0 in points, to claim the final spot.

Wellsville (15-4) is coming in on a five match winning streak dating back to a 3-0 loss to Union Local. The Tigers are led by one of the area’s top all-around players in Bella Poppelriter and outside hitter Presley Stokes, the area’s leader in kills.

Wellsville first must best No. 3 River before trying to capture another OVAC title in a higher division.

Class 3A

Union Local enters as the unquestioned top team in Class 3A, owning a 17-2 record with losses to Meadowbrook (3-1) and East Liverpool (3-2) in a five-set masterpiece.

The Jets host Monroe Central (15-4), while the opposite side of the bracket features No. 2 Linsly (17-2) hosting No. 3 Martins Ferry (12-5).

Union Local has not faced any of the other semifinalists yet this season, while Linsly actually dropped a recent 3-0 match against the Purple Riders after beating Ferry 3-1 earlier in the season.

Class 1A

OVAC newcomer Heartland Christian (13-5) snagged the top spot in Class 1A and will host Beallsville (12-7).

No. 3 Morgantown Trinity travels to No. 2 Conotton Valley (11-7).

This is the only class where none of the semifinals have faced one another during the regular season.

Class 5A

Morgantown returns as the top seed a year after current No. 2 Warren ended the Mohigans 5A championship streak in 2023.

The Mohigans (28-5) face a familiar foe in the semifinal round as they play host to cross-town rival University.

The two teams split their head-to-head battles earlier this season, with the road team capturing a 3-1 verdict on both occasions.

The winner of that battle will face either No. 2 Marietta (17-2) or No. 2 Warren (18-1).

The defending champion Warriors and Tigers have met twice this season, with Marietta claiming a 2-0 victory on September 14 in a tri-match that included Wheeling Park. Warren exacted revenge on October 3 with a 3-2 at Marietta.