Warlassies take straight sets on Senior Night

Owen climbs conference ranks with 3-0 win over Avery

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 13, 2022

Owen volleyball fans saluted five seniors, Oct. 13, before the 12-6 Warlassies welcomed the 10-8 Avery Vikings.

The home team showed its appreciation with a win in straight sets, moving up a spot in the Western Highlands Conference standings.

The Senior Night festivities began as Payton McDonald, Carly Hancock, Cole Christian, Maesyn Gardner and Addison Bartlett were each escorted to the court by their families. The Warlassies responded to the cheering crowd by tossing candy and t-shirts into the bleachers, but they wasted little time getting down to business once the match was underway.

Avery established a 3-2 lead in the opening set, but Owen soon took control, cruising to a 25-18 victory. The second set followed a similar pattern, as the home team erased an early Viking lead on its way to a 2-0 advantage, with a 25-16 win.

The Warlassies closed out the match with a convincing 25-12 performance in the final set.

The victory was the sixth in the last seven matches for Owen, which fell, 3-1, to Avery in September.

“We’re in a better place than we were then,” Warlassies head coach Kristy Kamer said, following the win. “We came in tonight knowing what we had to do, and they came in and treated this game like a must-win.”

The team’s performance under pressure said “a lot” about her players, the coach continued.

“I’ve been saying all year that this group has so much talent and heart, and when they put it together, they can beat anybody,” she said.

With the victory, Owen improved to 7-4 in the conference as the Warlassies prepare to head to Madison on Tuesday, Oct. 18 to close out their WHC schedule. Owen will return home for its regular season finale, Wednesday, Oct. 19, when the team hosts Erwin.

Photos of the Warlassies’ Senior Night victory over Avery can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.