One day, one win. The WCHS Lady Pioneers debuted in style Monday, beating Cascade on the road in four sets. 

Warren County looked fresh and ready to start the 2023 year, winning 25-14, 25-23, 19-25 and 25-23. Only a short lapse in the third set kept the Lady Pioneers from sweeping the Lady Champions on their home floor.

“The third set we stopped doing the little things and go down big early and just ran out of time to recover in that set, but they worked hard and showed grit to pull out the win in the fourth and final set,” said coach Erin Blalock. 

With a rebuilt rotation after losing five key contributors from last year’s team, coach Blalock only needed one night to see some new stars emerge. Senior Kennedi Pegg was steady as ever as a setter, leading the team with 14 assists. Her defense flashed too; Pegg finished with 11 digs and, according to her coach, “seemed to be everywhere and exactly where we needed her.”

Hope Gilley and Lola Wells showed deft touch on the back row, using their length to rack up 21 and 20 digs, respectively. Blalock noted their passing “was the key to our success,” as they were able to get the offense rolling with their first passes after service receive.

At the net, Allyson Blalock and Samantha Saldana affected the game with 10 combined blocks and senior Emily Davis was a huge hitter with a team-high 11 kills. Blalock also led the team with four aces, followed by Wells with three, Pegg with two and Jae Stovall and Amara Ellison with one each.

Warren County played again on the road Tuesday (the game at Cannon County was ongoing at press time) and is set to make its home debut this Thursday against Cookeville.