Lebanon ended Warren County's season Tuesday, but not before the Lady Pioneers gave themselves one last chance to do what they've done so many times this year - battle back.
Warren County couldn't overcome a slow start against the Blue Devils in the District 7-AAA semifinals at Smyrna High School, falling 25-14, 29-27, 25-10 to finish the season 15-13.
The final score ended up lopsided, but for one long stretch in the second set, the Lady Pioneers were a point away from completely changing the complexion of the match.
“I would take this team to battle over any other any day,” coach Erin Blalock said. “We’ve done that all season - battled - and I’m so proud of them. They could have easily gotten down when we had our little slump, or when things didn’t quite go as planned, but they kept their composure and believed in each other through it all.”
Lebanon gave Warren County trouble from the opening serve. The Blue Devils raced ahead 9-1 in the first set before the Lady Pioneers finally found some momentum. Natalie Payne caught fire from the service line and Aubrey Oleksik dropped a perfectly placed push shot into the back corner as Warren County cut the deficit to 9-5.
Lebanon responded immediately - A kill, ace, another kill and a Warren County lift quickly pushed the advantage back to 13-5 and the Lady Pioneers never got closer than eight the rest of the way.
The second set appeared headed in the same direction when the Blue Devils jumped ahead 5-0, but this time, Warren County answered. Payne started finding openings in the Lebanon defense, Sloan Youngblood came up with a huge stuff at the net and Caroline Boyd contributed at the net as the Lady Pioneers slowly chipped away.
Warren County finally pulled even at 12-12, then took its first lead at 13-12, prompting a Lebanon timeout as the Lady Pioneers went crazy.
From there, neither team could shake the other.
Oleksik used her left hand to hammer a backside kill just inside the deep line for a 16-15 lead before Youngblood came through with consecutive kills later to tie the set at 18-18.
By the time Boyd buried an overpassed ball straight down to put the Lady Pioners up 20-19, it would start a stretch that would become Warren County’s opportunity to unseat the top seed.
With the set tied 23-23, Reese Reinitz made a diving play to keep the ball alive and the Lady Pioneers eventually won the rally, giving them set point at 24-23. It would be the first of three tries over the next few points.
When Lebanon tied it up with a kill, Reintz answered back, faking a set and turning it into a perfectly placed ball in the middle of the Blue Devil defense.
Lebanon quickly asnwered back, but Youngblood was ready on the next point, again pushing the Lady Pioneers to the brink of a set victory by capping a frantic rally with a kill.
Erin Blalock shares a hug with Ali Young after the two-time all-district selection played her final match Tuesday for WCHS.
With Warren County leading 26-25, Lebanon answered - and this time for good.
The Lady Pioneers fought off a Lebanon set point to tie it 27-27, but the Blue Devils finally landed consecutive kills to escape with a 29-27 victory. The final one was a back breaker, a screamer sent to the back corner that Warren County had no chance of countering.
Once Warren County had thrown everything it had into trying to even the match, the Lady Devils were never going to let the door open again.
Lebanon scored the first six points of the third set and built leads of 16-5 and 20-6 on its way to a victory that ended Warren County's season.
Oleksik finished her final match with a team-high seven kills. Payne and Youngblood added five apiece, while Youngblood, Payne and Caroline Boyd each had two blocks. Maelee Turner led Warren County with 10 assists and Reinitz added nine.
As Lebanon closed in on match point, Blalock turned her attention to four players who have been at the core of the program.
Alyssa Boyd entered during the third set to help with the back-row defense, while Jenna Mullins later came in after Turner and Ella Wells collided while pursuing a ball and the sophomore needed some time to recover.
Before the final point, Blalock had made sure Oleksik, Ali Young, Boyd and Mullins were all together on the court one more time.
“All four of the seniors have been such a core group for our team this year, top to bottom, so I definitely wanted them to be on the court together one more time,” Blalock said. “It’s a group that will not be easily replaced and we are going to miss them on and off the court next year.”
The loss came one day after Warren County had produced one of its gutsiest victories of the season just to reach the semifinals.
White County won the opening two sets of Monday's quarterfinal 25-17 and 25-21, putting the Lady Pioneers one set from elimination. Warren County responded by winning three straight, 25-10, 25-23 and 15-10.
Payne and Oleksik each slammed 13 kills in the comeback, Youngblood added 10 and Reinitz finished with 21 assists. Turner had 13 assists and a team-high 11 digs.
It was one final example of the resilience Blalock saw throughout a season that included plenty of highs and lows.
Warren County sat 6-10 at one point before turning its season around. The Lady Pioneers won nine of their final 12 matches, including a victory over Cookeville that snapped a 14-year losing streak against the defending district champions. The team also entered the tournament having pulled off four consecutive sweeps to close the regular season, then made it five in a row with a comeback over a bitter rival Monday in Smyrna.
Now Oleksik, Young, Boyd and Mullins depart, but Blalock believes the way several younger Lady Pioneers developed throughout the season gives Warren County plenty to build around.
“It is encouraging however to see several of the younger girls really step up and take charge at times this season and start becoming leaders themselves,” Blalock said. “Knowing what this returning group has the potential for is super positive for the program moving forward.”
Reinitz and Chisam were named to the all-tournament team Tuesday before the finals commenced.
“When you’ve got girls like our all-tournament players, Reinitz and Chisam, among several others, who are making their marks as returning leaders, it’s a bright future for Lady Pioneers volleyball,” said Blalock.
On Monday, the Lady Pioneers saw Oleksik, Payne and Youngblood named to the all-district team, while Tenlee Medley was named to the all-freshman squad.
