West Henderson’s volleyball team and coaches.
HENDERSONVILLE – The crowd was roaring Monday night in a packed-out gymnasium as West Henderson and Roberson faced off in one of the most anticipated volleyball matchups of the season in Western North Carolina.
The undefeated Falcons swept the visiting Rams in three sets (25-23, 25-21 and 21-17).
“My girls have been waiting for about two years for this match, it is really fun to play a good team,” Roberson coach Michelle Wagaman. “The girls are friends with each other on both teams.”
The match looked to be an exciting one, as the first set went back and forth between both teams. However, the Falcons were able to continue their dominance and their undefeated 21-0 season.
West Henderson coach Tiffany Lowrance was excited to see her team face some top talent.
“I was really looking forward to this game so that both of our teams could prepare for the playoffs,” Lowrance said.
The Falcons (21-0) were led by seniors Sierra Jones (29 assists) and Mary Catherine Ball (13 digs and 7 kills). The team also saw valuable contributions from Destynee Galloway with 13 digs and sophomore Casey Brown who had 14 kills. Ball credited the loud student section for motivating them in the hard-fought matchup.
“I felt great to have the community come out and support us,” Ball said “The Falcons got crazy as always. To put them away in three was definitely a huge deal to our team.”
The Falcons are currently ranked third in the state, according to MaxPreps, and they will look to finish the season strong before entering the playoffs.
“Our goal is to win state, but we have to take it one game at a time,” Brown said. “We cannot just look at the big picture, it is the little things that count.”
The Rams (16-2) were able to keep pace with the Falcons throughout the game with tough defense. Sophia Fantauzzi had 14 assists and another junior, Emma Binns, had 12 kills for the Rams. Senior Camryn Jansen had 13 digs along with two aces.
Junior Abby Krueger believes her team has a lot to take from this game.
“I think this game will light a fire under us,” Krueger said. “We will learn from our mistakes and play even better.”
The Rams are currently ranked 44th in the state rankings according to Maxpreps and have already clinched the Mountain Athletic Conference 4-A championship.
The Falcons’ next game is at home Tuesday against Tuscola. The Rams also play at home Tuesday against Asheville.
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