Warlassies serve up fourth straight win

Owen volleyball digs in against Mitchell for 3-1 victory

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 29, 2023

A pair of Western Highlands Conference foes faced off on the volleyball court, Sept. 28, as Owen hosted Mitchell in the second meeting of the programs this season. The Warlassies established an early advantage in the 3-1 victory, extending their winning streak to four games.

Owen improved to 10-4 with the victory over the 2-14 Mountaineers, while maintaining a share of second place in the conference standings.

The Warlassies were playing in the Swannanoa Valley for the first time since Sept. 19, when they kickedo= off their winning streak with a victory over Avery, before collecting back-to-back road wins against Madison and Draughn.

As they returned to their home court, Owen senior outside hitter and middle blocker Jocelyn Russell sang the national anthem to open the night. Russell and her teammates, freshmen Mia Roland and Kenzie Robinson, sophomore Easton Whitson and seniors Abby Reitzel and Hayden Koone, jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a 25-16 showing in the first set.

The Mountaineers responded by eclipsing a 4-point Owen lead in the second set to tie the match, 1-1, with a 25-18 effort, but the Warlassies took control with a 25-9 victory in the subsequent frame. The teams traded leads early in the fourth set, before a Warlassies run established a 19-12 lead on their way to a decisive 25-16 win.

Owen improved to 6-2 in the WHC with the victory, maintaining a two-way tie with Draughn for second place, behind 8-0 Rosman.

“We’ve worked really hard against some tough competition,” head coach Nikki Roland said of her team’s performance during its longest winning streak of the campaign. “We made some minor adjustments, which helped us come away with a huge win against Draughn on Tuesday. We switched our rotation from a 6-2 to a 5-1, and, for the most part, that has worked for us.”

The Warlassies will look for their fifth consecutive win in Burnsville on Tuesday, Oct. 3, when they take on Mountain Heritage, before returning home, Thursday, Oct. 5, to host Rosman.

“Every game and every set really does matter at this point,” the coach said. “Fortunately, I have a really good group of girls and they really understand that it’s go time, and know exactly what we need to do.”

Photos of Owen’s victory over Mitchell can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.