MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 21 Walters State shrugged off a slow start Friday evening against the Bob Jones JV team, dominating sets two and three on their way to a second straight 3-0 (25-21,25-14,25-20) sweep in as many days.
With the victory, Walters State improves to 3-0 on the season. They have dropped just one set so far this season and have won eight straight sets.
"It just seemed like we meshed well in those last two sets," Walters State volleyball coach Megan Blaylock said. "They just all played the role they were supposed to tonight. They subbed well and did what they were supposed to on the court. I just think we're getting more comfortable."
The Lady Senators were led by Olivia Oxendine who seemed all over the court at times. At 6 feet 1 inch, Oxendine provides a huge height advantage for Walters State that they used very effectively Friday evening.
"She's a big hitter," Blaylock said. "She can come in and score points when we need her too. She's also very smart. She can place the ball when she needs too and can swing around the block. She's a smart player and brings a different type of energy."
Along with Oxendine, Devyn Davis has had a great start to the season and continued that on Friday night.
Coming into the match, Davis had 21 kills and added to it against Bob Jones.
"Devyn is the same (as Olivia)," Blaylock said. "Devyn plays so high over the net. She can jump so well and she has a great attitude. Her attitude is a big thing because she is very positive and a great teammate. That correlates to the way she plays. She just works hard which is hard to find as a freshman and is really, really special."
Despite the impressive finish to the match, it was Bob Jones who got things started early, breaking out to a 5-1 lead in set one. However, the Lady Senators calmed the storm and kept it close until they scored four straight points to take a 12-10 lead and force a timeout. Oxendine had three kills during that run to get Walters State going.
From there, both teams battled and Bob Jones actually took a 20-19 lead before the Lady Senators tied it at 20. With the score tied, Amanda Singleton rallied off two straight aces and Mercedes Collins had a kill to make it 23-20. From there, the Lady Senators closed out the first set with a 25-21 win.
Building off the momentum they created to finish off set one, the Lady Senators came out flying in set number two. With Taylor Tigue serving, Walters State scored the first five points of the set and then got up 11-3 before Bob Jones knew what hit them.
The Lady Senators were never really threated in the second set after that and calmly took it home, 25-14, with a Singleton ace.
Much like set number two, Walters State came out firing in the final set as they broke out to a 4-0 lead. Bob Jones would hang around for a lot longer this set, getting it to 13-12, before the Lady Senators upped it to 16-12. Walters State was really never challenged again and took home the match with a 25-20 third set victory.
In the win, the Lady Senators were able to use the majority of their large roster, and that large roster is already paying dividends down the stretch especially.
"It's incredible (having such a large roster)," Blaylock said. "We've never really had more than 15 players so having this many is a blessing. If they can perform as well as they need to and don't get as tired, it's really, really great."
UP NEXT:
Walters State returns to action next Tuesday on the road, taking on Cleveland State. That match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics