Despite many teams’ best efforts, no other program has been able to unseat the James Wood High School volleyball team over the last three years. With just three combined losses in 2022 and 2023, James Wood was already the team to beat heading into the fall. And even after losing three matches in the regular season — the most losses the Colonels have had since 2021 — the Colonels left no doubt that they are a dynasty with how they finished the year.
James Wood winning its third consecutive Class 4 state championship is The Winchester Star’s No. 1 sports story for 2024. The Colonels finished the year 23-3, defeating Courtland in five sets in the championship match.
After the two previous state title matches ended in sweeps, the Colonels had to fight their way to the three-peat and won the fifth set 15-10. The win over Courtland marked the first time an area high school sports team won three consecutive state championships since the Millbrook girls’ basketball team, which won three straight from 2010-2012. James Wood has gone 76-6 over the last three seasons.
With six new players on this year’s 12-player roster, the Colonels wanted to prove to themselves that they could bring another title back to James Wood. Mission accomplished. “We were here to show everybody that we earned this, and this was our time to win again and show everybody that we can do it,” middle hitter Tenley Mattison said after winning the title.
“And it just felt amazing that we could do it a.