Following a legendary team is no easy task, but the youthful North Hagerstown volleyball squad has been giving its best shot this fall. With a lineup full of fresh faces, the Hubs have once again assembled a winning product on the court, while racking up valuable experience and confidence in the process.
Now it’s time to see how high North — a program that has won three of the last four Maryland Class 3A state titles — can climb up the postseason food chain. They open their playoff journey on Friday night in the 3A West I Region semifinals against Westminster in a contest we’ve deemed as our Match of the Week.
Underclassmen like Charlotte Booth, Aleah Merrbaugh and Khloe King have powered the Hubs with solid play this fall, but whether North makes a return to the region final will require beating a senior-laden Owls team that is determined to slay the dragon.
Start time is 6 p.m. at North Hagerstown. Get there early, if you want a seat.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming contests we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
MPSSAA 3A West I semifinals
No. 3 Westminster at No. 2 North Hagerstown
Start time: Friday, 6 p.m., at North Hagerstown
Records: Both teams come in at 10-5
Last match: Westminster topped Linganore 3-0 in the quarterfinals, while North Hagerstown is coming off a bye.
Last meeting: The Hubs and Owls competed in the final of the Westminster Tournament in 2021, with North Hagerstown winning by a 2-0 score.
What’s at stake: The winner advances to the region title match against either No. 1 Tuscarora or No. 4 Frederick. The season is over for the loser.
Meet the Owls: Coach Serra Jarboe’s Westminster squad has already clinched its 10th winning season in 11 years, and now the Owls are one win away from an appearance in the region championship game … Westminster features a lineup full of upperclassmen, with the team being spearheaded by a quartet of seniors in Allie Ryan, Liliana Clark, Gabby Zajaczkowski, and Peyton Morrow … Standing at 5-foot-6, Ryan is an outside hitter who nailed down All-Carroll County honors in 2024 (Honorable Mention) and 2025 (First Team) … The 5-foot-10 Clark is a crafty left-handed setter who can use her dominant hand to set up creative attacks for the offense and her height to rain down kills at the net … Zajaczkowski, at 5-foot-10, is a formidable outside/opposite hitter who earned All-County honors last fall … Team captain Morrow is a 6-rotation player who always gives the Owls precise touches … Keep an eye out for No. 8, junior Skylar King, a powerful middle hitter who carries pop both at the net and in her service game … Westminster’s lineup is rounded out by a group that includes Keira Sniffen (RH), Elizabeth Kistel (OH), and Lila Streett (Libero) … With a win, the Owls would be one step closer to recreating the magic of 2017, when they marched all the way to a state runner-up finish.
Meet the Hubs: North Hagerstown, a six-time Maryland state champion, is no stranger to the postseason … Coach Lacie Johnson’s Hubs have captured three of the last four state titles, and as such, will be wearing a huge target on their back in these playoffs … Using a youth-dominated lineup, North has reloaded from heavy graduation losses to produce a 10-win regular season … While the 2026 Hubs don’t possess the same untouchable mystique as past squads, North has shown plenty of flashes of the potential greatness to come … The Hubs have collected notable wins over Fort Hill (3-2), Urbana (3-2), and Tuscarora (3-0), three squads that combine for a 35-12 record … Williamsport, Thomas Johnson, Smithsburg, Urbana, and James Wood — teams who collectively possess a 57-20-2 record — all own victories over North this fall … North is a team that builds up its attack from a strong defense, and the squad is guided by sophomore Aleah Merrbaugh, a 5-foot-3 defensive specialist who leads the LocalNews1.org coverage area with 264 digs, to go along with 27 aces and 27 assists … Junior setter Mia Johnson owns a team-high 176 assists, and is also a threat at the net with 93 kills … Margaret Gatchalian, a sophomore, has helped to fuel the offense with 136 assists and 22 aces, to go along with 77 digs … Many of those assists have gone to sophomores Charlotte Booth and Khloe King … Booth, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, has racked up 137 kills, 18 blocks, and 18 aces … King has also been solid at the net, with the 5-foot-11 outside hitter posting 84 kills and eight blocks … Junior Lauryn Copenhaver isn’t your typical middle blocker at 5-foot-4, but the junior makes the most of her frame as she ranks top five in the LN1 area with 34 blocks … Lily Hajel (79 kills, 17 blocks) gives the Hubs a senior presence on the court, while juniors India Gaines (97 assists), Milanya Hawkins (64 digs, 19 aces), and Zalikah Paliban (97 digs) should also factor heavily into Friday’s match … Freshmen Ava Boozel (53 kills, 3 blocks) and Milani Weedon (78 digs, 12 aces) and sophomores Payton Sandridge (42 kills, 18 blocks) and Emma Holloway (39 assists, 8 aces) give North plenty of youthful energy … A victory over Westminster would send the Hubs back to the region title game, which they won last season by a 3-0 score over Tuscarora.
Sandrik’s pick: Hubs by 1.
