EWING — The Ewing Grade School volleyball team just concluded a season that will be remembered by their school and community for decades to come. The Lady Warriors wound up with an incredible 38-1 record, finishing second place in the SIJHSAA Class S state tournament.
After cruising through the regular season, the Lady Warriors were also dominant in the state championship tournament. They won their first game against Central City in two straight sets, and then did the same to New Hope and St. Bruno. They lost their first and only game to St. Teresa Catholic of Belleville in the state championship game this past weekend at Herrin High School.
What is perhaps even more incredible than that, according to Coach Rhonda Carlton is that her team lost only four total sets the entire season, and only two prior to that final championship game.
"It takes the best two out of three sets to win a game, and we had not went three games with anybody all season until the last tournament of the season," added Carlton.
"Then we had the Massac tournament, and we went three games with Anna-Jonesboro, so we lost our first set. We had never done that before, so as I coach I'm like 'How are we going to recover?' and 'How is this team going to react?', but they pulled it off. They came back and won, and then we turned around in the championship game against Massac and went three games with them."
Carlton talked about the dynamics that led her to team to the remarkable season they enjoyed. “It’s all teamwork. We don't have those strong arms yet. We're not that developed yet, as far as hitting the ball real hard,” said Carlton. "But they understand teamwork better than any team I've ever coached. They know where everybody is on the floor. They'll run a ball down and bring it back into the court that other teams would give up on.
"They never give up. They work very hard, and they pick each other up. When somebody does something great, they celebrate. When the other team makes a mistake, they celebrate. I mean, they're that kind of team. They just know how to get excited," Carlton said. Carlton also talked about the mental tenacity of her girls. "The mental game is amazing with them. They know if a player on the other side is having a bad game, and they go after that player. They're not rude, or unsportsmanlike or anything, but they have great focus. And when they're all focused on the team goals, and not worrying about their individual hitting, that's when their game is on," added Carlton.
Carlton called this year’s squad one of the best teams she’s ever coached as far as communicating and having confidence in each other. “They really believed in each other, and that's what made them so successful," added Carlton. The Lady Warriors were blessed with one of the most well rounded rosters in all of junior high sports this semester. Coach Carlton went over the key players to help explain some of the essential components of Ewing's outstanding team.
Sheridan Campbell and Kaitlyn Kuchar were the outside hitters. "She has got what we call hops. The girl has a giant vertical leap, and can get way up on the ball and move it around."
Carlton added, "Kaitlyn doesn't have the vertical but she's got more power to put on the ball, so her drive is a little different than Sheridan's which makes it really neat when you have two different style of outside hitters. It makes it hard for the other team's defense to figure them out, and that is really good for us."
In the middle, Maggie McMullin and Whitley Richardson also had an interesting contrast. "Maggie is probably six inches taller than Whitley, and we use Maggie, not so much for her hitting, but for her blocks; while for Whitley, we use her defense in the back row, and for her hitting to the weak side. That's her strength," said Carlton.
"I was very fortunate to have a left handed backup setter; Kiley Carter," said Carlton. "It's very rare where you get lefties in volleyball that can really play their position very well, and she is what I call my placement girl. She doesn't hit the ball hard, but she's my saftey. She lands the ball, and she knows where the strong points are in the floor and tries to keep it in that spot. She's like our pitcher."
Presley Allsopp was a great defensive presence all year, according to Carlton, "I just can't say enough about her. She puts the ball in the setter's hands so we can set it up for an attack off of the serve, or off of a free ball. Without her, none of those girls would be able to hit." Zoe Carlton is the official team setter, and also the daughter of the coach. "She's the glue," Carlton added. "She knows everybody's position, and she keeps them going. They've all been friends for life, but she knows how to motivate her team ... anytime we take her off the floor, it really goes downhill."
Sidney Wilson and Halle Minier are two players who made a big impact of the bench this season. "Both of them have extreme roles when they come in. They're the first ones off the bench. They either serve the ball for us, or come in front row and block for us, or pass. But they come in and they've got good spirits, and they seem to lift the team up when we need them, and so we're very fortunate to be that well rounded," said Carlton.
Carlton added that next season will be a rebuilding year for the Lady Warriors as she is losing 11 eighth-graders, including seven starters. She noted that seventh-graders Jayla Sotelo and Ashlyn Gibbs will have crucial roles in next year’s team. Carlton, who also coaches the Benton High School volleyball team in the fall, said that currently nine of her 11 girls have committed to play for Benton, with Sami Jackson and Dara McDonald deciding to pursue their dream of being on the dance team.
Carlton is “over the moon” with excitement to see how the influx of her Ewing girls will impact the already athletically, solid BCHS squad.
