Whitley County’s road to its Elite 8 appearance began last season as soon as they were eliminated in the 13th Region Volleyball Tournament.
The loss to Corbin left a bad taste in the Lady Colonels’ players’ mouths, and they wanted to do something about it, so they went to work.
Actually, they out in a lot of hard work to get where they’re at.
Winning the Kentucky 2A Sectional championship wasn’t luck, it was because Whitley County’s players put in the work.
The same goes for their 50th District title run.
And then you have their memorable run at the 13th Region championship.
Coach David Halcomb put together the toughest state a Lady Colonels team had played in recent memory, and guess what?
It paid off.
Now Halcomb’s squad is preparing for their State Tournament Elite 8 matchup with state power Notre Dame.
Can Whitley County win Thursday?
Why not?
“Our girls started preparing for this season pretty much as soon as last season ended. We had a few to play club ball with Horizon Volleyball and then several played with K2 Volleyball in the spring,” Halcomb said. “I think it really helped those players to stay more involved during club season. I think another big factor is that almost all of our players take part in our in-school strength and conditioning program, in which Coach Zach Jacobs does a phenomenal job. During the summer we attended a couple of camps that were very beneficial, and we played against some really good teams.
“I did want to put together a tough schedule and I don’t think we had what would be considered an easy win all year,” he added. “The level of volleyball in our area has improved a ton in the last few years. The tournaments we played in have been vital in our growth as a team as the season has winded down.”
Halcomb said the one constant with his group players is they love the game of volleyball.
“They love to play the game of volleyball with one another,” he said. “Our team chemistry has been great for the most part and the girls have never complained about putting in extra work or trying new things. They have great attitudes. I think that is probably our biggest strength. “Another huge factor for the success of this team is our coaching staff,” Halcomb added. “I was able to retain Heather Smith, which was important to me. Heather and I have coached together for several years and I think we each have different strengths that blend well together. Then we added former Lady Colonel Caitlyn Decker, who knows how I run a program from having played for me in the past. She does a great job with our girls. Mickayla Coppock McCoig has been a tremendous addition to our volleyball program. She is so knowledgeable about the game and has helped our girls with individual skill development and really helped transform our offense to become more balanced and added tempo to it. I know it’s cliche, but our team is really like a family — we all love being around one another and competing together. Without this team unity, I don’t think we would be where we are today.”
