By Stephen Smoot
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times – and everything in between for the determined volleyball squad from Pocahontas County who brought their fire and energy to Franklin last week.
This tale of two programs starts with the contrasts. Pendleton County has made three state tournament appearances in as many years, sporting in those seasons a powerful and aggressive style that relied on attack, attack, and more attack.
Pocahontas County’s team endured a tough fight as well, but their battle thus far was not pushing to win a conference and appear in a state tournament, but just to field a team at all. The road trip up West Virginia Route 28 represented their first game after forming a team.
Even practice represented an uphill battle for the aptly named Warriors. Their first time not practicing on a flat piece of outside ground, but on a wood floored court, was just before their first game against the Wildcats.
As for the home team, this season has yet to show if it represents a rebuilding or reloading phase after graduating a number of star seniors last year. Their first game on the road two days prior was a setback to Bath County in Virginia.
Alyssa Bennett, who started last year at times, led off the service. The Wildcats picked up the first score of the first set when Laney Bowers, a newcomer to varsity, fired a spike to the back line.
Pendleton County put up the first two points, but then the Warriors responded when Cadence Kerr made a play on the net, tipping it back across for a score. Pocahontas County gave up a point to make the score 3-1, but then Caroline Bennett fired a spike to the outside and closed the gap to 3-2.
The home team went on a seven to nothing run to build a lead with Breena Bowers providing, as she did in 2024, consistent service. Pocahontas County ended the run with a block at the net, then scored again when Riyan Gladwell had a nifty tip to the middle for their fourth point of the set.
At this point, Pendleton County started to cruise. The Warriors inexperience led to a few plays that built the home team’s momentum and the set ended with a 25-6 score.
Charleigh Halterman took the serve first for the visitors in the second set, but a violation handed the first point to Pendleton County. The home team raced out to a 10-1 lead and looked to continue their dominance.
The Warriors’ Bennett then set up Natalye Burdett who spiked the ball to the back line. Pocahontas County started to get more comfortable with the Wildcat serves and also their own teamwork in setting each other up and completing plays. A few serves later, Bennett served up consecutive aces to cut the Pendleton County lead to 11-5. Her serves came at the Wildcats flat and fast, giving little time to respond.
When the Warriors came within 11-7, the Wildcats called time out, after which the Warriors lost a point on an errant serve. They came within four again at 13-9, but then Pendleton County surged ahead with a seven-point run.
The second set ended 25-13.
One more set was destined to remain, but the 25-7score did not reflect entirely what happened on the court. The hesitation felt by the first-time team had worn off and they started attacking the plays.
Pendleton County took a 3-0 lead on the power of Bennett’s serves, but the Warriors bounced back when Burdette set up Bennett for a spike and their first score of the set. Pocahontas County served next, but Carolyn Varner, as she reliably had all night, put up a solid set for Laney Bowers who fired a hard spike to the opponent, giving her team a 4-1 advantage.
A few plays later, the Warriors’ Bennett set up Izabella Barr, who returned the favor for a spiking Bennett, giving their team their second score.
Pendleton County responded when Breena Bowers popped the ball in the air for Varner to set up Colbie Wimer for a spike and a 7-3 advantage.
Callie Judy a little later broke the game wide open, picking up where she left off in the state tournament, providing reliable and difficult to handle serves. She racked up four straight aces to lift the score to 13-4.
Brynn Clutter then put the ball in the air for Barr to direct it to an open spot on the Wildcat side to set the score at 13-5. Ryley Kerr then added to their total with a scoring shot of her own.
Even as Pendleton County pulled ahead farther, the Warriors never stopped. More and more, one saw their players going to their knees and diving on the floor to keep plays alive. Their defense, however, had to contend with Pendleton County’s effective and relentlessly capable servers. They also increasingly moved the ball effectively to each other, even if it did not always result in points.
Some of the Wildcat serves hooked slightly left or sliced somewhat to the right in mid-flight. Even in the right position to make the play, the shifty movement of the Wildcat serves made attempts to defend difficult.
Pocahontas County head coach, Crystal Keatley, related the struggle to even field a team. “A lot of people thought we wouldn’t have interest. Funding was a big thing,’ she said. Then she shared that teams in their county have to financially support themselves, but pledged, “I’ll find a way.”
Keatley added that her team themselves must find a way “to communicate more, to move around a lot more,” but shared that from the first practice to now “they’re a completely different team.” She added that she saw strong improvement within the game itself.
As for the Wildcats, Madison Day, head coach, had mixed impressions, allowing that “it was a good game for stats.” She added that “our serving was very much on” and that the team this year will play with “a very different mindset.” Prior to the season, Day stated that Pendleton County would focus more on precision ball movement and defense and less on constant attack.
The two teams meet next on Sept. 26.
The Wildcats were scheduled to host Moorefield on Tuesday. Today, they will travel to Petersburg and then host Highland on Sept. 10 and Bath County on Sept. 11.
