Warlassies end volleyball regular season with a win

The Warlassies lost their lead only once during Oct. 19’s home nonconference volleyball match against Erwin.

Ending the regular season with a 3-0 win, Owen will finish tied for third in the conference.

The night before, Owen lost 3-1 against Madison.

“We took a heartache last night against Madison,” Coach Kristy Kamer said. “But we made playoffs.”

With a 14-7 overall record and 7-5 conference record, Owen tied for third in the Western Highlands 1A/2A conference with Mountain Heritage and Avery County. Draughn leads the conference, followed by Rosman. Madison and Mitchell round out the division.

Kamer said she is proud of the team's wins against leaders Draughn and Rosman.

“Taking a win from Rosman, we played really well against them,” Kamer said. “Coming back, beating Draughn up here, getting that win was pretty exciting since we lost down there. Bouncing back from some losses and getting some wins, I think is the biggest thing. We’ve been working hard.”

Owen first met Draughn Sept. 1 where the Warlassies lost 3-1 during the away game. Later that month, Owen beat Draughn 3-1 at home.

The Warlassies defeated Rosman Sept. 13 at home 3-2 and then lost 3-0 when they met the Tigers on their court.

After their win against Draughn, Kamer said she was looking forward to the matchups against Mitchell and Mountain Heritage, both of which Owen won, 3-0 and 3-1, respectively.

Kamer said she hopes to be able to compete in the playoffs at home.

“That’s the biggest thing,” Kamer said. “If we can stay home, that would be great.”

Senior Payton McDonald said she and the other seniors worked hard to foster friendships and work together.

“I’m proudest of how much we’ve grown as a team,” McDonald said. “In the beginning we weren’t as close, but now we are. We play more as a team.”

McDonald leads the team in hitting percentage, 0.299.

The team worked well together Oct. 19, winning the first set 25-10, the second 25-17 and the third 25-16. Only briefly during the second set did the team lose its lead.

“I’m just proud of this team,” Kamer said. “They keep working hard.”