Friday, August 14, marked the beginning of West Orange-Stark Volleyball, as the Lady Mustangs hosted Burkeville in a Mustang vs. Mustang faceoff.
There’s a different vibe surrounding Volleyball this year. Fans filled the bleachers with anticipation while the Lady Mustangs began their pre-game stretches on the court. The sound of a dozen volleyballs resonated off the walls of the high school gym, a rhythm that energized the team more than the bass-heavy music during their warm-ups.
The JV team started the evening’s action, winning all of their sets. Sophomore player Amaya Turner felt confident about their victory early in the game.
“We kept serving and acing those serves,” she said. “That’s when I knew we were going to win.”
Despite a few nerves, freshman player Jayden Brandkamp said she felt really good about the game.
“We’ve been working on our communication and our rotations. We’re getting comfortable playing with each other, and that really helps,” she said.
The Varsity also picked up a hard-fought win. Senior Jaylah Gladney credits summer workouts for their win.
“We put in the work these past two months and really pushed ourselves, and this is our hard work paying off,” she said.
Volleyball coach Nicole Abercrombie sees a lot of potential in the year’s team.
“I’m pouring my confidence into them, showing them they’re capable of doing things they never thought they could before,” she said. “The girls are realizing they’ve had [the talent] all along and are now putting it together as a team.”
Abercrombie is already preparing for their next game in Deweyville on August 18. She says they plan to do plenty of reps, expose mistakes in practice, and figure out how to fix them.
The Lady Mustangs’ next home game will be this Friday, August 21, when they host the Anahuac Panthers at 4:30 p.m. in the G&G Enterprises Arena.
For the latest on WOS Volleyball, be sure to follow the District’s social media and download the District’s app.