Sloan Youngblood and the Lady Pioneers picked up their fourth straight win Tuesday night at home.
A week ago, Warren County was trying to figure out how to stop losing. Now the Lady Pioneers can't seem to stop winning.
Less than 24 hours after knocking off defending district champion Cookeville in a five-set thriller, WCHS returned to Charlie Dalton Gym Tuesday and showed there would be no emotional hangover. The Lady Pioneers dominated Smyrna 25-13, 25-15 and 25-11, completing a season sweep of the Lady Bulldogs and extending their winning streak to four matches.
Warren County is back to even overall at 10-10 and, after dropping four straight district matches earlier this season, has climbed above .500 in District 7-AAA at 6-5.
“It’s great to get these back to back wins early this week,” Blalock said. “Smyrna is a completely different team than Cookeville was on Monday, but the message was the same… just play our game.”
The Lady Pioneers did exactly that.
There was no need for the drama that came with Monday's five-set victory. Warren County had to twice battle back from one-set deficits against Cookeville, save a match point in the fourth and survive another momentum swing in the fifth before finally snapping a 14-year drought against the Lady Cavaliers.
Against Smyrna, the Lady Pioneers simply took control and never gave it back.
Warren County won the opening set comfortably and just got more comfortable as the night progressed into a sweep.
Aubrey Oleksik led the offense with 10 kills, giving Warren County a consistent option at the net throughout the night. Ella Wells added four kills, Brynlee Chisam had three and Natalie Payne and Sloan Youngblood finished with two apiece. Elliana Heintz added another kill as Warren County continued to spread its attack around.
That balance was exactly what Blalock wanted to see.
“They moved the ball around, everyone on the front row were significantly contributing to the flow of the match, and the back row let very little hit the floor,” Blalock said.
Reese Reinitz finished with 11 assists and Maelee Turner had 10, while Chisam added one helper. Oleksik and Turner each recorded an ace.
The back row was equally steady. Ali Young led Warren County with eight digs, Youngblood added four, Oleksik had two and Payne finished with one. Payne and Heintz each recorded two blocks, while Wells and Youngblood added one apiece.
For Wells, Tuesday was another opportunity she wasn't necessarily expecting to have this quickly.
Caroline Boyd went down during Monday's JV match against Cookeville, forcing Warren County to adjust its varsity lineup on the fly. Wells was called upon and responded with seven kills in the five-set victory, including two of Warren County's biggest swings late in the deciding set.
A night later, she was right back in the lineup and contributed four more kills and a block against Smyrna.
Wells has produced 11 kills in two nights since being thrust into the larger role, but Blalock's confidence in the sophomore goes beyond the numbers.
“Ella is a very dependable player,” Blalock said. “She makes smart decisions on the court and is very consistent in her fundamental ability to keep the ball in play. She is an excellent teammate who really wants the girls beside her to succeed, and that, I think, makes her teammates feel the same toward her.”
Wells' opportunity will continue for at least the immediate future. Blalock said Boyd is currently in a boot and will not be available for the remainder of this week.
That makes having a player who has stayed prepared even more important.
“She cheers everyone around her on, she wants to learn and grow, she’s attentive and always ready for her opportunity, and she tries to accomplish what we ask of her every time she touches the ball,” Blalock said of Wells.
It is another example of the depth that has suddenly become a major part of Warren County's turnaround.
The Lady Pioneers were 6-10 following their five-set loss at Wilson Central Sept. 8, a defeat where Warren County won the first two sets before watching the match completely unravel. It was the team's fourth straight district loss and sixth defeat in seven matches overall.
Since then, everything has changed.
Warren County went to LaVergne and finally finished, dominating the fifth set 15-6 for a much-needed district victory. The Lady Pioneers returned home the next afternoon and swept Van Buren County in front of their classmates.
Monday brought the breakthrough, a five-set victory over a Cookeville program Warren County hadn't beaten in 14 years. Tuesday brought something entirely different, a businesslike sweep of Smyrna in which the Lady Pioneers never allowed the Lady Bulldogs to make things interesting.
“It was another great team win tonight,” Blalock said. “These girls deserve all the credit for what they have been able to do these last two nights.”
Now another test looms. Warren County will travel to take on Lebanon Thursday night. Action will begin at 6 p.m.
