Warlassies ready to 'flip the switch'
Owen volleyball downs Rosman, 3-2, eyes conference title
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 14, 2022
As her team prepared to host reigning Western Highlands Conference champion Rosman, Sept. 13, Owen volleyball head coach Kristy Kamer had reason to be optimistic about the second half of the season.
“This team, as a whole, has so much talent and potential, and once they realize they can win this conference, I think everything will come together,” she said of the Warlassies, who entered the contest against the 4-5 Tigers with a 5-4 mark of their own. “We just have to flip the switch.”
Owen would need to five sets to dispatch their conference foe, 3-2, offering a glimpse of why Kamer believes the team will compete for a title.
The midseason matchup against Rosman, which dominated the WHC in 2021 on its way to a deep postseason run, represented a test for the Warlassies, who did not win a set against the Tigers last year. Owen, however, was determined to set tone in the opening set of the first meeting between the teams in 2022.
The Warlassies established a 1-0 lead, as seniors Addison Bartlett, Maesyn Gardner, Payten McDonald, Carly Hancock and Cole Christian led the way to a 25-22 performance in the opening set. Rosman tied the score with a 25-23 showing in the second set, and the teams exchanged leads six times to open the third set before Owen built a 7-point lead on its way to a 25-21 victory. The Tigers bounced back to even the score, 2-2, setting up a tie-breaking fifth set.
The Warlassies jumped out to an early lead in the final set, but Tigers roared back to pull ahead, 13-12. The teams were tied, 15-15, before Owen closed it out to win the match, 17-15.
All five seniors on the Owen roster played key roles in the victory, continuing a trend that has boosted the team to its current 6-4 record, according to the coach. The trio of Bartlett, Christian and Gardner are mainstays on the court, while Hancock and McDonald provide athleticism and explosiveness at the net.
“That group has worked so hard for so long, and all of them improved in different ways coming into this season,” Kamer said. “Their leadership has been a key part of the success we’ve had on the court this season, and its been really fun seeing their confidence grow coming into their senior year.”
Juniors, including libero Mary Keeter and defensive specialist Hayden Koone, have also played significant roles through the first half of the season, she added.
“It’s so hard to talk about the individuals on this team, simply because they’re all capable of doing so much,” Kamer said. “This is a really talented roster, and once all of that clicks we’ll be able to win the games we need to win.”
Owen opened conference play, Sept. 1, with a 3-1 loss to Draughn before dropping another WHC matchup against Mountain Heritage the following week. The Warlassies improved to 2-2 in the conference with their victory over Rosman, and will face eight WHC opponents in their final 11 matches.
The Warlassies will return to their home court at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 14, when they host 4-7 Thomas Jefferson. They will face another conference opponent, Avery, on the road, Tuesday, Sept. 20.
“Our goal is to win the conference,” Kamer said. “To do that, we have to win a lot of games, both at home and on the road. We want to have fun while continuing to work on ball control and all of the other things we need to do to be successful, but we have all the tools we need.”
Photos of Owen’s victory over Rosman can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.