CLEVELAND, TN – Other than a hiccup in the third set, top-seeded Walters State rolled to their sixth TCCAA/Region 7 Volleyball Title on Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 (25-9, 25-10, 23-25, 25-6) win over Roane State. 

With the win, the Lady Senators advanced to 24-7 on the season and move to the NJCAA Southeast District B Championship. 

"It feels great," Walters State coach Megan Blaylock said. "They were ready to compete today. There was a little hiccup in the third set, but they bounced back exceptionally well. I'm just really proud of them and the way we played." 

It was domination for Walters State in the match, as the Lady Senators scored 10 of the first 11 points in the first set, 10 of the first 13 points in the second set and nine of the first 10 points in the fourth set. 

"I think we were really just really aggressive at the net," Blaylock said. "We talked about it at practice just trying to be as aggressive and dominant as we could, and I think that correlated to today. We didn't have very many hitting errors." 

The service game was a huge strength for Walters State in the match as they had 10 aces. Allison Singleton had back-to-back-to-back aces in the second set, while Maddie Rockrohr tallied three aces. 

"That was crazy," Blaylock said. "It's hard to play against somebody that can have that many aces. I think it gives us a chance to find a rhythm on defense when we can get those serves in." 

Jaci Drinnon was her consistent self at libero for Walters State in the match. The Morristown native was named the Tournament MVP for her efforts on Friday and Saturday. 

"Her leadership and communication has been a game changer," Blaylock said. "She's so comfortable on the floor and at being vocal at her position and knowing her role. The girls really depend on her a lot, and I think she does a fantastic job." 

However, while Drinnon was excellent in the match, the team as whole was equally good all around her. That included Alyssa Campbell, Mattie Davis, Rockrohr, Lauren Mims, Olivia Brown, Singleton, Haylee Richardson, Catherine Sweeney and many more. 

For Blaylock, the consistency of her team at every spot on the floor has been a difference maker this season. 

"I think it's hard when you only have two or three that stand out, but I think with this group we all mesh very well together," Blaylock said. "There's not one that is much better than the other, so they all play so well together because their skill level is all close together. It's a great thing to have come tournament time." 

It was a dominant start to the match from Walters State as Roane State scored the first point before the Lady Senators rallied off 10 in a row. Nine of those points came with Rockrohr on serve as she tallied two aces during the run. Campbell had two kills as well, while Davis and Mims also added kills. 

Roane State finally broke the run with a point, but Walters State continued their assault as Davis had two more kills, Drinnon had an ace and Campbell had a kill and a block that made it 22-7. The Lady Senators cruised from there, taking the opening set 25-9. 

In set two, it was more of the same. Walters State scored the first four points of the set and built up a 11-3 lead after three straight aces by Singleton. The lead grew to 14-4 after a Mims ace and then 20-6 following a kill by Rockrohr. 

The Lady Senators had no trouble closing out the set as a kill by Mims ended it at 25-10.

Hoping to end it with a sweep, Walters State met resistance from Roane State in the third set. The Lady Raiders stayed close early and then took an 11-9 lead. The two teams battled back-and-forth from there, tying at 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22 and 23. However, the Lady Raiders scored the final two points and cut the lead in half with a 25-23 set three win.

But that was as close as Roane State would get as Walters State scored the first seven points of the fourth set to charge ahead. Rockrohr had another ace during the run, and Mims added two more kills. 

The lead grew to 13-3 after a Mims kill and then 16-4 on a Mims ace. Davis added a kill late, while Oliva Brown hit an ace to give Walters State match point. The Lady Senators would get it on their first match point to win the title with a 25-6 fourth set win.

Up Next:

Walters State will be back in action next Friday as they host the Southeast District B Championship. The winner will advance to the NJCAA DII Tournament in Cedar Rapids, IA. 

For information on Friday's match, check www.wsccathletics.com. 

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics