By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Pulling up to the Watauga High School parking lot on Oct. 17, you just knew it was going to be an electric atmosphere in Lentz Eggers Gym for the Northwestern Conference rivalry match between the Pioneers and Ashe County. It was a 3-0 sweep (25-9, 25-16, 25-21) for Watauga on Senior Night, but the entertaining action was well worth the price of admission.
Especially after the Huskies’ junior varsity prevailed over Watauga with a third set tiebreaker in the curtain-raiser contest, the enthusiasm and anticipation among the visiting Ashe County supporters jamming the south grandstands was palpable for a potential varsity upset. And, to their delight, in both of the first two sets the Huskies drew first blood.
But by midway through both sets the Pioneers firmly took control with aggressive playmaking, in attack mode. The Huskies’ greatest offense threat, arguably, is in the form of junior outside hitter, Paige Overcash. With the Pioneers’ attacking kill shots and serves away from Overcash, many of the attempts by the Huskies to keep the ball in play and setup the powerful junior hitter were more off-balance.
“We know Paige is a good hitter,” said Watauga senior outside hitter Faith Watson after the match. “She is very tall and very smart with her hits. We tried to put blocks on her the best we could, to kind of front her. We also knew that she is smart enough to hit around our blocks, so we have been preparing our defense for her all week. We tried to put pressure on their defense, especially on the serve receive, because the harder the ball is to the setter the harder it is for them to get a good set to slam the ball back at us.”
Another senior Pioneer outside hitter, Caroline Farthing provided a slightly different assessment.
“Last time out against Ashe County, they had super good defense and they attacked really well,” said Farthing. “We knew coming in they would be really scrappy in keeping the ball in play and, from what we saw last game, could be really strong on offense. Ashe County is a super confident team. They came into the last match ready for us, very prepared. Tonight, I think we were more prepared than they were. They didn’t find Overcash as much in this match. I don’t know whether it was the serve/receive or what, but they didn’t find her as much until the third set.”
Pioneer head coach Kim Pryor understood the significance of the matchup when she said, “On both sides of the net, there was some high level volleyball being played. I was proud of our girls for being mentally prepared. We attacked from the beginning. When your opponent is attacking hard, it is hard to get the ball to where you want it to go. Because of our attack, it was a game changer in keeping the ball away from Overcash’s kill shots, especially. I am proud of our girls for their attack all they way through. In our last match with Ashe County, we spent a lot of time trying to place the ball. Tonight we just attacked and hit balls with force. It makes it difficult for a team to get their offense going when our offense is so forceful.”
Farthing also put a premium on the proverbial “7th man”, in terms of the gym atmosphere.
“It was a packed house and we really appreciate all the people who came out to support us, especially on Senior Night. And, really, all the Ashe County supporters, too. It made for a great atmosphere with a lot of excitement,” Farthing added.
For all of the Watauga athletes and coaches, this Senior Night was especially emotional. Pryor held back tears in sharing that Senior Night is the beginning of the end of her time with so many of the young women who have become her friends.
“I have coached so many of these players since they were young girls, just starting out playing volleyball. We have had a lot of shared experiences through the years,” said Pryor.
Now 20-2 overall on the season and an undefeated 10-0 in Northwestern Conference play, the Pioneers will now turn their attention to the state playoffs. According to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association website, the seeding will be announced on Oct 20, with first round play on Oct. 22. There is a high probability that Watauga will be at home for the first round, based on the team’s record.
SELECTED INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATS VS. ASHE COUNTY ON OCT. 17
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- Kenzie Baldwin 10 digs, 2 service aces
- Evie Robbins 7 digs, 1 service ace
- Cam Norris 19 assists, 4 digs
- Faith Watson 4 kills, 1 dig
- Brooke Scheffler 15 kills, 19 assists, 2 stuff blocks, 8 digs
- Caroline Farthing 19 kills, 1 stuff block, 2 service aces, 7 digs
- Sara Marlowe 2 kills, 3 stuff blocks, 1 dig
- Emma Pastusic 5 kills, 2 stuff blocks, 1 dig
