WCMS downs Westwood on Opening Night
Lyvia Wilson and the Lady Pioneers were able to win a three-set thriller with Westwood Monday night.
Dig!
It wasn’t just a statistic being tracked by the Warren County Middle School volleyball team Monday night. It became the rallying cry.
Every time the Lady Pioneers found themselves in trouble against Westwood, coach Bethany Mesaros had one simple message: Dig.
Warren County answered the call, digging out of an eight-point deficit to steal the opening set 25-23 before recovering from a second-set loss to close out the Rockets 15-10 in the deciding third set and open the season with a thrilling victory.
"It was more about digging themselves out," said Mesaros. "They definitely have that grit in them to be able to come back from behind. They fought hard and it showed."
The energy inside the gym matched the comeback.
Parents packed the stands, teammates celebrated every point and members of the Warren County High School volleyball team added to an atmosphere Mesaros said she hadn't experienced in years.
"It was really encouraging," said Mesaros. "I think this is the loudest I've heard the Warren County Middle School gym in a long time."
Nobody embodied the Lady Pioneers' resilience more than Ellie Dixon.
The eighth grader pounded out a team-high eight kills while adding a block, an assist and the biggest defensive play of the night. On match point, Dixon sprawled across the floor to keep the rally alive, allowing Khloe Howell to finish the match with a perfectly placed shot over the block that sent the home crowd into celebration.
Howell added four kills, two aces and a team-high two blocks in the victory.
"We try to utilize our middles as much as we can so Ellie's going one-on-one with the block," said Mesaros. "They know she's a strong hitter, but in volleyball you have to spread it around so teams can't stack everything against her."
The night started with Fallon Youngblood ripping one of Warren County's eight aces through the heart of the Rockets' serve receive, helping the Lady Pioneers build an early lead before Westwood answered with an avalanche.
The Rockets rattled off enough points to seize a 14-6 advantage, forcing a timeout with Warren County searching for answers.
Mesaros had one.
"The message was simple: Dig," said Mesaros. "We needed to get our passes to the target so our setters could set our hitters. We definitely didn't want to come from behind, but the girls decided that's what they wanted to do and pulled it out anyway."
Lyvia Wilson and Maebry Yates ignited the comeback from the service line, while the final point of the opening set turned into a marathon rally with both teams refusing to let the ball hit the floor.
After several attempts to free Dixon for the winner, the powerful hitter finally found her opening, blasting a shot that ricocheted off Westwood's libero to cap the comeback.
The Rockets responded in the second set, racing to a double-digit lead and never looking back despite a late Warren County push that trimmed the deficit to 22-18 before Westwood forced a deciding third set.
This time, it was the Lady Pioneers who landed the early punch.
Wilson's serving sparked a 10-2 advantage as Warren County controlled the action from the outset. Westwood closed within 10-7, but the Lady Pioneers never allowed the Rockets to draw even before Howell's match-winning shot sealed the victory.
Yates led Warren County with three aces, while Wilson added two. Emma Boon handed out a team-high nine assists and Youngblood finished with four assists.
The Lady Pioneers will look to build on the season-opening win Tuesday when they host Upperman. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
