WILLIAMSBURG — The stage is set for David Halcomb’s Whitley County Lady Colonels to show why they are undefeated at 11-0 during this weekend’s Kentucky 2A Girls’ Volleyball State Tournament.
The defending 13th Region champion will play Greenup County in first round action at 5:15 p.m. with hope of being a state title home to Whitley County.
“I’m really pleased with where we are right now — playing some really good volleyball the last week or so,” Halcomb said. “To be undefeated almost a third of the way through the season is a nice accomplishment and we’ve done it against the better teams from our area. Honestly, I was a bit surprised by us starting off a little slow and dropping some sets that we probably shouldn’t have. We had a strong summer season and our preseason scrimmages were good as well.
“We went to Madison Central and beat them in a scrimmage, and played at a really high level,” he added. “”We had some conversations with the girls after a couple of what I would call subpar performances and sorted some things out. They were putting too much pressure on themselves and weren’t having fun out there. Since then I feel we have played more to our expectations. I’ve also talked a lot to them about their mindset and making the most of their opportunities.”
Halcomb admitted he felt it was important for his team to pick up some wins in Owensboro.
“It would just be a big confidence boost for our girls and would be another positive step forward for our program,” he said. “I’m really proud of the culture we have right now in our volleyball program. Our freshmen and JV teams are also undefeated on the season. We’ve got a great group of young talent. Going to Owensboro and playing well, winning some matches, would be huge for our young kids to be a part of that.
“I have so much respect and admiration for our players. I really do,” Halcomb added. “I think I have a really calm demeanor for the most part, don’t get too excited or too down during a match. I think this team has kind of taken on that mentality and we have talked about that a lot of the last couple years. One good or bad play doesn’t define any of them — have to move on to the next point.”
The key to his program’s success are simple, according to Halcomb.
“I would say it’s three things: hard work, cooperation and loyalty,” he said. “We have nine seniors and they have bought into everything we’ve asked of them. They have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into getting to where they are now. Most of these girls didn’t even play JV as freshmen and I don’t think that set too well with them. They’ve always played like they’ve had something to prove. “They’ve put the time in the weight room, which has helped a ton,” Halcomb added. “We also had 13 or 14 of our girls to play club volleyball in the offseason. They love to practice volleyball, it’s just that simple really. The success of our program is a group effort — many people cooperating in a positive way. We’ve got an outstanding group of parents who cheer on and support one another’s kids. They have sacrificed time and money to get their kids in club ball in the winter.
“We’ve got a great coaching staff and we work well together,” he continued. “Our administration is always supportive. I also think loyalty to one another has been special. Many of these girls have been best friends since elementary school. They enjoy playing the game of volleyball together and are making some wonderful memories. It means a lot that they have remained loyal to one another, to me and our school.”
So can the Lady Colonels make a run beginning Friday against Greenup?
“I do think it’s important for us to go up to Owensboro and pick up some wins,” Halcomb said. “Greenup County is out of the 16th Region and there’s some really good volleyball over there. I have had a chance to watch them on film. They have a solid team.
They are led by Peyton Powell, their middle hitter who is averaging about four kills a match and has 26 solo blocks in 11 matches,” he added. “She can be a dominant force for them. They have a good outside hitter in Lucy Roy. Their overall service game seems to be pretty strong as well. We have to serve and serve receive at a high level. I believe we have a strong offense when we can pass the ball consistently. We just can’t have a lot of service errors and give points away. We will also need to scramble on defense, get our blocks up and get to our spots on the floor quickly. I like our chances to go up to Owensboro and have a good showing. I don’t think we will be intimidated by playing on this stage. We are excited for the opportunity.”
