Fallon Youngblood, pictured in a previous home game, had a huge night as the Lady Pioneers started postseason play at Upperman.
Warren County Middle School wasted little time showing it was ready for postseason volleyball Monday.
The Lady Pioneers dominated Stone Memorial 25-9 in the opening set before fighting through a much tighter second set to win 26-24, completing the sweep and advancing in the district tournament held at Upperman.
Warren County improved to 14-7 overall with the victory and flipped the result from its Sept. 1 trip to Stone Memorial, where the Lady Pioneers suffered a straight-set loss.
Fallon Youngblood was at the center of just about everything WCMS did Monday.
Youngblood led Warren County with five aces, seven assists and four kills, finding a way to impact the match whether she was serving, setting up a teammate or finishing a point herself. She also added four digs defensively.
Her versatility helped fuel a dominant opening set.
WCMS overwhelmed Stone Memorial, with its pressure from the service line setting the tone. Youngblood's array of aces led a balanced serving attack that produced 13 as a team. Maebry Yates added four aces, Lyvia Wilson had two and Ellie Dixon and Khloe Howell had one apiece.
"I am so proud of the way that the girls came out and played during the first set," said coach Bethany Mesaros. "They were determined and focused, and it definitely showed on the court."
Stone Memorial made Warren County work much harder to keep its season moving in the second set.
The Lady Pioneers found themselves in a battle that stretched beyond the normal race to 25, but the same all-around balance that helped them dominate the opener ultimately carried them through. Warren County scored the final two points to secure the sweep.
"They fought hard in the second set and made sure to get the final two points through placing the ball and serving," said Mesaros. "We are excited to return on Wednesday for our next matchup."
Youngblood wasn't alone in filling multiple roles. Yates paired her four aces with three kills and six digs, while Wilson led WCMS with seven digs and added an ace and a kill.
Emma Boon gave Warren County another option setting the attack, finishing with six assists to go with four digs, an ace and a kill. Dixon had three kills, an ace, a dig and a block, while Howell recorded two kills, an ace and a team-high two blocks. Lillyanna Reagan added a dig.
The win was Warren County's second victory over Stone Memorial this season. The Lady Pioneers won a three-set battle in McMinnville in August before Stone Memorial answered with a sweep in Crossville Sept. 1.
Warren County will return to district tournament action Wednesday. The Lady Pioneers will face No. 2 seed Prescott South at 6 p.m. With a win, WCMS would move into the winner’s bracket finals set for Thursday. A loss would mean the Lady Pioneers would be playing with their season on the line at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
A full bracket can be found below.
