PARKERSBURG - Seven different squads have a dream the Wirt County volleyball team has made a reality the last four years and that's winning the Class A state tournament. Whether or not the Tigers of veteran head coach Janet Frazier can surpass Huntington East's record of four straight crowns from 1985-88 remains to be seen, but a Friday night semifinal battle with Doddridge County could be looming inside the Charleston Civic Center.

The Tigers (23-14-3) and Bulldogs open play Friday morning in the quarterfinal round. DCHS takes on Buffalo, a team it has beaten already, while Wirt County faces Meadow Bridge.

This is the sixth straight year the Bulldogs (38-12-1) of head coach Kris Bonnell are in the state tournament field, but 2006 is the only time the green and gold made the state finals, finishing as the runner-up to Wirt County.

"We're just going to have to go out and play like we know how to play," said Bonnell, whose unit is led by returning first team all-staters Sam Bailey and Erica Smith. "They have to want to win it. They have the capability, but they have to show that on the court.

"They definitely have the ability. Look at Janet, you could give her six 4-foot-8 girls who know nothing about volleyball and come November they will be ready to go."

Doddridge County won its regional by getting nearly four dozen total kills from Bailey against opponents Pendleton County and regional runner-up East Hardy. Smith rolled up 37 points and nearly a dozen aces against PCHS while posting more than three dozen assists in each match.

Fellow Little Kanawha Conference member Williamstown (26-12-4) also made the single-A field, but the Yellowjackets face regional champion Greater Beckley Christian on Friday afternoon and if head coach Laurel Joy's team wins they most likely get top-ranked Charleston Catholic. The Irish are 58-5, have a record of 11-0 against Class A teams at state and has been considered all year to be the team to beat.

However, Irish head coach Vince Stricker isn't quite as certain.

"There are some very good teams in the Class A field," said Stricker, whose Irish are 3-0 against Doddridge and 2-0 versus GBC. "We had won 34 consecutive matches without dropping a set to end the season before losing to Spring Valley.

"We did not play Wirt, but it appears that they are peaking again at tournament time. Until someone else wins the state tournament, they are the team to beat. We played Williamstown once this season and they are very strong. We were fortunate to win."

Coach Joy's squad played until nearly 11 p.m. on Saturday before falling to rival Wirt County in the regional final. The 'Jackets were the last team other than Wirt County to win the Class A state tournament back in 2004, beating the Tigers. WHS also was runner-up in 2002, 2003 and 2005.

Williamstown has been led by the hitting prowess of Tiffany Copley and Liz Flowers for most of the campaign, but the 'Jackets have the necessary ingredients to make another title run.

"We have not faced Greater Beckley this year, but we are looking forward to the match because they are the team who knocked these kids out last year," Joy said. "The kids are all healthy now and ready for this big challenge ahead of them.

"We did get the tough bracket, but we have been playing tough competition all year long and hopefully that experience will help us when we begin tournament play on Friday. We need to come ready to play and focus on the task at hand."

The task at hand for coach Frazier's gang in Elizabeth is monumental to say the least, but the Tigers weren't even sure if they would get back to Charleston this year or not.

Senior spiker Megan Ellison has been the Tigers' go-to player, but continued development from the entire team, which includes Kaity Bunch at the net when Ellison is in the back row along with the development of setter Natalie McVey, have been major keys for Wirt County down the stretch. If the Tigers and Bulldogs meet as expected in the semifinals, it will be just their second match. Wirt County lost in straight sets to the 'Dogs back in September.

"This team has far exceeded expectations," Frazier said. "They have worked hard and are really just now starting to look like a team instead of six individuals out on the court. They still have a long way to go individually and as a team, but we're running out of time with the state tournament in just a couple days.

"Megan is the only one back to the same position as last year.

"She's done a nice job of being patient and letting the other players and teams develop as the year has progressed. They are young, but it's been a nice group to work with for the past few months."