BOONSBORO – In the end, Charlotte Booth’s sheepish grin said it all.
It’s all because she lifted North Hagerstown to a big, early-season volleyball victory by providing what could be called “service with a style.”
Booth notched two extended serving stints – one in each of the last two sets – before serving out with the final four points of the match to lift the Hubs to a 25-20, 25-15, 25-12 sweep of Boonsboro in a marquee contest between two of Washington County’s state champion volleyball teams to cap the first week 2025 season.
“Every time she was serving the ball, I got so excited,” said Mia Johnson, Booth’s teammate who provided some emotional momentum plays of her own to help North. “It was like I was doing it.
“Every point was insane. She got 17 aces. It was crazy energy.”
It was the energy that lifted North, the three-time defending Class 3A champion past game Boonsboro, the reigning Class 1A champ. But each school had only a handful of players returning from those teams.
North (2-0) and Boonsboro (0-2) are two of the three state champ schools that reside in Washington County. Williamsport is the Class 2A champs, giving 75 percent of the trophies handed by the state. The Wildcats will get their shot at North and Boonsboro later in the season.
As for Booth, there was a bit of irony to her night. She’s only a freshman and wasn’t a member of the state championship team, yet she played like a seasoned veteran.
In the first set, Booth anchored the middle of the net, blocking some of Boonsboro straight-on kill efforts. She provided some offense keep the Hubs on track while Caydence Doolan, the Hubs’ star hitter, tried to get the range on her efforts.
“It’s all about your attitude,” Booth said. “If you think you’re not going to do well or you think you aren’t going to hit the ball as well as you should have, you’re not going to do it.
“You have to think ‘I’m going to kill this ball’ and then you do. It all about your mindset.”
North fell behind early, trailing 8-6 after Johnson muscled the ball over the net to give the Hubs the serve and swing the momentum.
North libero Zalikah Pabalan used a barrage of fluttering, dropshot serves to give the Hubs their first sustained run of the night. She scored seven straight points – including three straight aces – to move North to a 13-8 lead before Boonsboro’s Mikayla Zodrow end it with a kill.
That run gave North the lead it needed for the five-point win of the first set.
The second set was highlighted by six ties before North took a 15-14 lead when a Boonsboro kill went into the net.
Booth stepped to the line and started firing knuckleball-like serves that baffled the Warriors. She scored on nine straight to move the Hubs to a 24-14 lead as Doolan began to consistently finish points.
The serving flurries became a huge concern for the Warriors.
“We definitely try to hold our team to the center of the court,” said Boonsboro coach Shelby Wallace. “We are trying to build leadership within our athletes to reset on the court, but we are also trying to exercise more strategic timeouts.”
Doolan finished the 10-point win in the set with a kill.
Booth came back to get North the early lead in the third set. She broke a 2-2 tie with seven straight service points, finished off with aces, Doolan hits and more work around the net by Johnson.
“It really is all about your routine,” Booth said. “If you get in a groove, you saw how I was hitting the ball and it spun. Taking a deep breath is the best thing. It resets your mind and gets you ready to go.”
Boonsboro rallied back, getting within 15-11 before North got a point and the ball on a net serve. Madison Shatzer followed with a four-point service run to move the Hubs to a 20-11 advantage.
The teams traded points before Booth returned to the line to finish the match, which featured a tip shot by Eden Shupp and a Doolan kill before Booth fittingly ended it all with an ace.
“It felt amazing,” Johnson said. “(Boonsboro is) amazing competition and to come out as strong as we did – we were a little rocky in the beginning – but every set we picked it up even more in skill level and intensity.”
North coach Lacie Johnson said the atmosphere and the competition with a county opponent made the match thrilling and beneficial.
Wallace agreed.
“I think so,” she said, when asked if the match provided a starting point to build on.
“My favorite part of last season with our championship run was learning how long a postseason can be and the amount of time you have to get your act together. This was good for us to play this this early so we can make adjustments quicker than we would have made otherwise against some different teams.”
