Veteran presence, young talent to lead Walters State in 2022
MORRISTOWN, TN – When Walters State takes the volleyball court on Friday in Spartanburg for their first matches of the 2022 season, it will be with veteran faces, new faces and everything in between.
The Lady Senators enter the season with three third-year players, nine sophomores and six freshmen.
For head coach Megan Blaylock, she is "cautiously optimistic" about her team and the mix of veteran and new players and what they can do together.
"I think we have made a lot of strides during the past couple weeks as we get ready," Blaylock said. "We've been scrimmaging a lot and it's been good and competitive. We've been hanging with some really competitive teams. I am excited to get started competing this weekend."
The three third-year players returning for Blaylock are all important and have made significant contributions over the last two seasons. Those players are Halyn Long, Mercedes Collins and Mackenzie Sweigart. Last season, Sweigart made All-Region.
"I think they will play a large part in grounding everyone since they have been here," Blaylock said. "I am very excited to have them back. They will be leaders for us, for sure."
On the sophomore side of things, Blaylock has nine returning from last season. Those sophomores include Takiya Curry, Faith Heskett, Madyson Greenlee, Brittany Kitchens, Jordan Moore, Sidney Keck, Bella Webb and Hannah Freeman.
While all nine played roles last season, Moore was the bright spot on the entire team in the middle of the court with her ability to block and go up for powerful kills. Moore led the region in blocks last year and was fourth in kills.
This year, Moore is back and ready to make an impact at different spots on the court.
"We've been working with Jordan on the outside and the right side just to give her some different reps and different exposure," Blaylock said. "We're trying to preserve her by not having her in the middle and jumping at all times. She has responded and is doing really well with the different things we are asking her to do. I am glad she's back."
Six freshmen fill out the lineup for the Lady Senators, and they are no slouches either. Those freshmen include Maddie Rockrohr, Mattie Davis, Haylee Richardson, Allison Singleton, Taylor Spears and Rachel Miller.
While a veteran team can be hard to break into for a freshman, the six for Walters State have done just that and have added to the team chemistry.
"It's hard to have an incoming group that is much smaller than the returning group, but they are right there with us now," Blaylock said. "With us scrimmaging these past two weeks, I think they have really found their footing. They're fitting in really well. There's a couple of them that I can definitely see in our starting rotation. It's a good group."
It's the third-year in-a-row that Blaylock has been able to recruit a large roster as the Lady Senators have 18 girls on the team. That roster size is always beneficial, especially as the season reaches its end when fatigue starts to play a factor.
"I like having a lot of players around for longevity purposes," Blaylock said. "I want to keep them as healthy as possible for as long as possible. I also like to have very competitive practices, and you have to have the numbers to do that. There's strength in numbers."
Schedule wise, the Lady Senators will have 25 regular season matchups which includes three tournaments they will play in at Spartanburg Methodist, Wallace State and then their own tournament in the middle of October.
The conference slate starts on Sept. 6 at Roane State before their first home match is the following Tuesday against Chattanooga State, who is ranked No. 20 in the latest NJCAA DII Poll. The conference will be tough again as the Lady Senators will try and finish back on top after falling to Roane State in the Region Championship last season.
"I think all the teams in our conference will be good this year, and I am very happy that that's the case," Blaylock said. "I have been part of this region since it was formed, and it finally feels like it has become consistently competitive. I am excited about that. I think it's just going to be a tossup and who plays the best at the right time and develops the best."
As far as goals this season, it is the same as always as the Lady Senators will strive to win their fifth Region Title since 2017.
The regular season starts on Friday for Walters State as they travel to the Spartanburg Methodist Invitational. There, the Lady Senators will play Denmark Tech at 1 p.m. before playing No. 16 Cape Fear. The invitational concludes on Saturday with a match against Spartanburg Methodist.
"I am really excited about this weekend just so we can evaluate and focus on what we need to get better at for conference play," Blaylock said. "These out of conference tournaments are great opportunities to focus on what we need to get better at."
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics