Rudy DeAarmond photos - Freshman Tenlee Medley got her first extensive varsity action in Friday’s day game victory over Van Buren County.
Warren County spent the last few weeks searching for a way to get back on track. In less than 24 hours, the Lady Pioneers may have finally found it.
After grinding out a much-needed five-set district victory at LaVergne Thursday night, WCHS returned home Friday afternoon and made quick work of Van Buren County in front of a packed Charlie Dalton Gym. The Lady Pioneers rolled 25-9, 25-12 and 25-12, earning their second victory in roughly 18 hours and improving to 8-10 overall.
The sweep was convincing, but the setting made Friday's win a little different. Instead of the normal evening crowd at the Dalt, Warren County played a day game with the student body filling the stands and the Pioneer Pride Marching Band adding to an atmosphere the Lady Pioneers rarely get to experience during volleyball season.
“I think it's always fun to play in the Dalt just in general,” coach Erin Blalock said. “As the students were coming in and filling the gym up, I thought, man, this is such a unique experience for the girls. That's what I kept telling them throughout the whole game. I was like, ‘Look around and just take it in,’ because it's such a great experience that a lot of people don't get to do.”
For senior Aubrey Oleksik, there wasn't much convincing needed.
“It was really exciting,” Oleksik said. “It was really exciting to see everybody here and have a big student section.”
Warren County gave the crowd plenty to cheer about immediately.
The Lady Pioneers established control early behind their serving and steadily pulled away in the opening set. Reese Reinitz helped Warren County build an early advantage from the service line, Natalie Payne added an ace and Ali Young later took over with an extended serving run that helped turn an 8-4 advantage into an 18-6 cushion.
Once Warren County had Van Buren County scrambling, its offense started getting plenty of clean looks too. Payne and Sloan Youngblood combined for consecutive blocks, Youngblood hammered away from the outside and Oleksik came alive late in the set with a string of attacks as the Lady Pioneers raced toward a first-set victory.
With one set secured, Blalock decided everybody should get a chance to enjoy the day.
Warren County completely changed its lineup for the second, turning the court over largely to players who have been starring for the JV squad. Seniors Jenna Mullins and Alyssa Boyd joined Stella Dunn, Leah Mara, Tenlee Medley and Ella Wells in the opening group, with Caroline Boyd also quickly rotating into the action.
It wasn't simply ceremonial playing time.
The new group took a 7-1 lead and never allowed the intensity to drop. Mullins settled into the setter role and consistently gave Warren County's hitters opportunities to attack, while Wells provided another spark from the service line. Caroline Boyd put away several chances and Alyssa Boyd contributed both offensively and from the service line.
Blalock specifically praised the two seniors who have embraced leading the younger group this season.
“They are leaders for that team,” Blalock said of Alyssa and Mullins. “They've really embraced that. They took charge and they lead the younger girls on the court and really keep everybody picked up. They're doing an excellent job.”
Oleksik said the varsity players wanted the younger group to get its moment too.
“We just wanted to give everybody a chance because it's the first time that this has ever been able to happen before,” Oleksik said. “We never got to have a game in front of the entire school before. We felt that everybody should get a chance to show out for their school and show out their abilities on the court.”
The group did exactly that.
Warren County led 17-7 midway through the second and continued rolling toward the sweep, with the ending fittingly with the Boyd sisters involved in the final sequence. Caroline received a pass up and over from Van Buren County, quickly passed it to her older sister and Alyssa set up Caroline for a big blast to end the set with a signature lefty swing from the sophomore.
The regular varsity group returned to start the third, but Van Buren County provided its strongest resistance of the afternoon. Warren County's lead was only 12-9 when Blalock called timeout, a moment that carried a little more significance considering how many times the Lady Pioneers have struggled to finish matches during the last few weeks.
This time there would be no opening for another comeback.
Warren County scored immediately out of the timeout, Youngblood followed with an ace and the Lady Pioneers regained control. Oleksik, who the offense started to run through following the timeout, mixed powerful spikes with a well-placed push down the line and to the back corner as Warren County began creating separation again.
The Lady Pioneers eventually completed a sweep that looked a whole lot different from the five-set battle they had survived the night before.
“Getting these two wins definitely I think will boost their confidence more than anything, and especially last night, getting the win and being able to finish, which has been a struggle for us, I think is going to be important as we move forward,” Blalock said.
Blalock knows two victories don't mean everything that plagued Warren County during its recent slide has suddenly disappeared. With more important district matches ahead, she sees the coming stretch as the real test.
“We've definitely got some things to work out,” Blalock said. “We know that's going to be a true test for whether we can work ourselves out of this slump and get back on track.”
Oleksik believes the answer may be as simple as getting back to what made the Lady Pioneers successful in the first place.
“Slowly but surely,” Oleksik said when asked if Warren County was starting to find its early-season form. “I feel like we started off really hot, and then we just slowly started to start overthinking things and trying to make it too complicated. But I think over the last couple weeks, we've realized if we just go back to what's simple and what we know how to do, then we can win easily.”
For a team that spent weeks searching for a way to finish, two wins in 18 hours is a pretty good place to start.
Warren County returns to action Monday at home against Cookeville, then follows with date with Smyrna at the Dalt on Tuesday. Both matches will begin at 6 p.m.
