Lady Pioneers move to 3-0
Warren County didn't have to rely on one big hitter to overwhelm LaVergne Thursday night. The Lady Pioneers had an army of them.
Aubrey Oleksik, Sloan Youngblood, Brynlee Chisam, Natalie Payne, Caroline Boyd and Elliana Heintz all took their turns attacking as Warren County controlled the net and swept LaVergne 25-13, 25-12 and 25-15 at Charlie Dalton Gym. The victory improved the Lady Pioneers to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in District 7-AAA after opening district play with a four-set victory over Wilson Central Tuesday.
“They were lights out on the net tonight,” said coach Erin Blalock when asked about her depth up front and the impact. “(Lots of hitters) is a great problem to have. I wouldn't even call it a problem.
“It's a great thing for our team where there's not really a rotation where we don't have somebody that we can go to. And it's not just one go-to. Any girl on the front row can get the ball and do something with it. That's a great part of our team this year.”
The Lady Pioneers showed off their options from the opening point.
Youngblood hammered the first serve of the night, LaVergne returned it and Warren County quickly went to Oleksik for the opening kill. By late in the first set, the Lady Pioneers had established complete control of the net.
Chisam came up with a huge stuff to move Warren County closer to the finish, then followed by smashing a kill to make it 24-13. Faced with another towering Warren County block on set point, LaVergne tried to hit around it and sent the ball sailing out to end the opener.
The second set may have been the best example of what makes this Warren County lineup difficult to defend.
There wasn't one player taking over. Instead, the Lady Pioneers consistently kept the ball off the floor, locked in passes to their setters and let a different hitter finish seemingly every time down the court.
Oleksik, Youngblood, Heintz, Chisam, Payne and Boyd all took their swings. The versatility extended beyond the obvious attacks too. Boyd delivered a set when the situation called for it, Youngblood was just as dependable passing on the back row and setters Maelee Turner and Reese Reinitz showed the ability to become scoring threats themselves.
Warren County has even added more attacks from the back row, keeping players like Youngblood and Ali Young involved offensively after they rotate away from the net.
“We've been working on that for a little while,” said Blalock. “It took a little bit of getting all the right pieces in the right places to be able to really execute that when we could. It's something we've been working on for a while and they really executed it well tonight.”
Warren County was also constantly on alert when LaVergne gave it an opportunity to strike.
Chisam made back-to-back heads-up plays midway through the second, first attacking a ball that danced along the top of the net and helping it fall on LaVergne's side. On the next point, the Wolverines made a big dig on a hard Chisam swing, but the ball came back across as an overpass.
Oleksik immediately recognized it and placed the ball perfectly into the back corner to make it 19-11, forcing another LaVergne timeout.
“We really preach that all the time, just to use the opportunities that we have,” said Blalock. “They gave us quite a bit and we try to not give the other team too many opportunities. When we have those opportunities, the girls did a really good job tonight of capitalizing on those and making sure we did something with it.”
Heintz put together one of her best stretches late in the second set. The sophomore transfer from Arizona accounted for three points during a four-point run, putting down two kills and adding a block as Warren County pulled away for a 25-12 victory.
Only three matches into her Lady Pioneer career, Heintz is already feeling at home.
“Everyone's so energetic and they hype me up after I make a mistake,” said Heintz. “I just love how everyone plays as a team.”
She's also getting her first taste of playing in front of the crowds at Charlie Dalton Gym.
“I've never had a crowd like that before, but I like it,” said Heintz. “I like how they're so energetic and happy.”
LaVergne briefly found some success in the third set, taking a 5-4 lead before kills from Chisam and Youngblood pushed Warren County back in front. The Wolverines answered to regain the advantage at 7-6, but it would be their final lead of the night.
Turner stepped to the service line and delivered an ace to start a seven-point Warren County run.
Youngblood supplied three kills during the surge, saving her most impressive swing for last. The sophomore was drifting toward the middle as she rose for the attack, but contorted in the air and ripped the ball across her body into an open spot on the right side of the LaVergne defense.
By then, the Lady Pioneers were rolling again. Warren County finished off another easy set to complete its second sweep in three matches and wrap up a perfect opening week.
The Lady Pioneers can relax for the weekend before returning to action next Monday with a border battle at Manchester. Action against Coffee County will begin at 6 p.m.
