Warlassies push through, improve to 6-2
Owen volleyball defeats Mountain Heritage in five sets
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 8, 2023
A pair of Western Highlands Conference volleyball teams faced off in the Swannanoa Valley, Sept. 7, as Owen hosted Mountain Heritage.
The home team needed five sets to claim the victory, moving into second place in conference play.
The Warlassies entered the contest with a 5-2 mark, two days removed from a 3-0 win over Mitchell, while the Cougars brought their 4-3 record on the road. Both teams were 1-1 against conference opponents as the first serve cleared the net.
The Warlassies, led by freshmen Mia Roland and Kenzie Robinson; seniors Hayden Koone, Abby Reitzel and Mary Keeter and sophomore Easton Whitson, took an early lead in the opening set, cruising to a 25-16 win. Owen took a 2-0 advantage with a 25-18 victory in the second set.
Mountain Heritage battled back in the third set, taking a 9-7 lead when a medical issue on the visiting team's sideline forced a lengthy delay. As play resumed, the Cougars went on to extend their lead to 18-12, closing out the set with a 25-20 win.
The Cougars dominated the next set, tying the match with a 25-11 performance and setting up a deciding fifth frame.
Head coach Nikki Roland encouraged her Warlassies to play to their strengths as the teams entered the deciding set.
“I reminded them that they’re here to play, and this team wasn’t going down easy,” she said after the match. “We just needed to pick it up, and play our game.”
The players responded, taking a 5-1 lead to open the fifth set and forcing a Mountain Heritage timeout. The Cougars went on to cut the Warlassies’ lead to 2, but Owen never trailed as they clinched the deciding set, 15-12.
“I was really proud of how they fought through it,” Coach Roland said. “They could’ve given up very easily, but they stepped up, supported each other and beat a really tough team.”
The Warlassies have won two straight matches following a 3-2 loss to Draughn to close out August.
“This group of girls has a lot of grit,” Coach Roland said. “They’re going to fight, they’re going to work and, most importantly, they’re going to stick together.”
Owen will travel to Rosman for a 6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 12 match. The Tigers are coming off a 3-0 victory over Madison, bringing an identical 6-2 records into the contest. The Warlassies will focus on fine tuning aspects of their game as they prepare for the match, according to the coach.
“Rosman has a phenomenal coaching staff,” Roland said. “We really need to work on solidifying our passing and our sets. We’ve got solid hitters, but we’re really going to need them to execute.”
Her daughter, Mia, who leads the team in kills and digs while being in the top three of nearly every statistical category, will likely play a key role in her team’s performance.
“She’s young, and she came into this season wanting to prove herself, and that even though she’s my daughter she has to earn her spot,” the coach said. “She’s worked extremely hard. There are multiple days, after two-hour practices, she’ll ask me to stay and we’ll just work on things together. She has a tremendous work ethic and drive.”
Mia is surrounded by a team built on complementary pairing of youthful talent and senior leadership.
“Our team chemistry is better than I expected coming into the season,” the first-year Owen coach said. “But, this is a team sport, so without that you have nothing. We do a lot of stuff as a team off the court, and I think working on those chemistry and communication pieces has really helped them stick together when they’re facing challenges.”
That team culture was reflected in the victory over Mountain Heritage, she added.
“This is a game where six people have to flow, trust each other and talk on the court, but it takes every person on the bench to help facilitate that,” Coach Roland said. “As everyone heard tonight, our JV team is incredibly supportive, and the home fans are great, so we’ve got a lot of great energy around this team.”
Photos of Owen’s victory over Mountain Heritage can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.