Lady Pioneers pass final preseason test
Photo provided - The WCHS volleyball team spent the weekend in Gatlinburg taking part in the Attack at the Rock preseason playday.
Warren County spent the preseason looking for competition that would expose weaknesses, test its strengths and prepare the Lady Pioneers for the matches that will matter this fall.
Coach Erin Blalock believes they found plenty of it.
A week after hosting the Tree City Playday, Warren County traveled to Gatlinburg Saturday for Attack at the Rock and faced Knoxville Catholic, Bardstown (Ky.), Seymour and Cleveland. The 40-minute timed matches gave the Lady Pioneers a chance to see several different styles and levels of competition without putting much importance on traditional match results.
“We come to these events to see strong competition that will make us better, and we definitely saw that today,” said Blalock Saturday night after her team’s solid perfromance.
None provided a bigger challenge than Knoxville Catholic. Warren County fell 25-13 and 24-18, but Blalock felt the Lady Pioneers competed much better than the scores indicated against a team featuring powerful hitters - including a potential D-1 signee - and some of the toughest serving Warren County has faced.
The Lady Pioneers' work at the net helped them hang around. Natalie Payne recorded two blocks, while Brynlee Chisam, Caroline Boyd and Sloan Youngblood added one apiece. Youngblood also led the back row with six digs.
“We had several net calls and a few missed serves that made that point differential look more lopsided than how the match was played, but the girls really hung in and dug up so many well-hit balls,” said Blalock. “Our blocks were key in keeping it close as well.”
Warren County struggled to find the same rhythm against Bardstown (12-25, 14-15) and Seymour (18-25, 17-22), though there were bright spots. Boyd and Chisam had three kills apiece against Seymour, while Youngblood collected seven digs and Ali Young added six. Payne, Boyd and newcomer Elliana Heintz each had two blocks.
The Lady Pioneers saved their best finish for Cleveland, winning two complete sets 25-22 and 25-16. Youngblood had three kills, Payne added two and Young racked up three aces. Heintz continued to make her presence felt with two blocks and an ace.
“The girls really pushed to finish the hard rallies and came out with two really great set victories to end the day,” said Blalock.
The weekend capped Warren County's preseason slate after facing Cascade, Tullahoma, Coffee County and Franklin County at the Tree City Playday. Between the two weekends, Blalock got exactly what she wanted: different opponents, difficult situations and plenty of opportunities to identify what needs work.
“We have a few things to fine tune before the season starts, but today showed quite a few encouraging aspects of our team,” said Blalock.
JV gets plenty of work
Warren County's JV squad also got exactly what Blalock wanted from the trip, seeing extended court time against Knoxville Catholic, Bardstown, Seymour and Maryville. The young Lady Pioneers managed to take at least one set from every opponent during another long day of volleyball.
The JV split with Knoxville Catholic (17-25, 18-15), Bardstown (30-28, 11-19) and Maryville (14-25, 25-20), while winning both timed sets against Seymour, 27-25 and 20-14. Blalock was encouraged by the group's ability to keep competing as the day progressed.
“They were able to take at least one set from each team,” said Blalock. “That’s a great testament to their perseverance through the long day and finding a way to win.”
