Just when the WCMS volleyball team looked to be turning the corner, it took a quick step back Tuesday night at home. The Lady Pioneers rallied for a big win on the road Monday night at Franklin North, but fell at home against White County Tuesday, leaving the group 2-4 overall this year.
Coach Holly Palombo and the Lady Pioneers were ecstatic after Monday’s win, which saw the group answer one of its worst sets with two outstanding performances. Warren County side-stepped an 18-25 loss early to win convincingly, 25-9, in the second set and pull out a thrilling 15-13 victory in the deciding set.
The Lady Pioneers may have been planning on a similar turnaround Tuesday after losing the first set 9-25 and winning the second set 25-17, but another comeback wasn’t in the cards. Warren County lost 7-15 in the final set, teaching the group a tough lesson on the pitfalls of trying to always come from behind in matches.
“I told our girls after the game that it’s not an ability issue – we have the knowledge and the skills to be successful,” said Palombo after the Sparta loss. They are extremely talented. Mentally, we have to be tougher. Our first set did not look like the same team we’ve been this season. We weren’t moving our feet or talking to each other.
“We had moments at the net and in serve receive. In the end, our passing and failed serving attempts really hurt us.”
Playing a tough first set is a trend the Lady Pioneers are working to break. Palombo had the same things to say early Monday when her squad dug a hole, but they were able to make it all the way back by the end of the night in Winchester.
“Our first set against North was not fun to watch. We weren’t doing what we needed to do fundamentally, making the most of our time at the service line or getting the ball to our setter. The second set, we came out to a 9-0 lead and then our last two sets looked much better,” said Palombo.
Ali Young was the catalyst behind the run Monday night, serving her team into an insurmountable lead in the second set. For the night, Young finished with a team-high seven aces (she added two more against White County Tuesday). Young was also the top passer, dishing out three assists against North. Aubrey Oleksik and Sarah Kate Winfree finished with two kills each as well (Winfree also added a block).
After the match Monday, Palombo started to take stock on where her team stands in the Central Tennessee Conference. The Lady Pioneers have beaten both Shelbyville Harris and Franklin North, but the team had to scratch and claw its way to both wins. As all the groups improve, coach Palombo figures it’s the start of what should be a wild ride to the finish line in the CTC tournament.
“North continues to improve and this is the closest I’ve seen our district across the board since I have been coaching. It was a good, competitive night for our varsity squad,” said the fourth-year coach.
Warren County will have a week off before returning to play Thursday, Sept. 8 at Harris.
