Wirt County volleyball focused on consistency
ELIZABETH — It’s a long time from now until November, but the Wirt County volleyball team is hoping to make another run at a Class A state championship inside the Charleston Civic Center.
Seniors Haley Moore and Katie Frazier have been key cogs for the orange and black since they were freshmen and they plan to make one final push toward attaining the Tigers’ 11th overall state net crown.
“We’ve been working hard this year,” stated Moore, who has had match-high kill totals each of the last two years in the single-A championship. “From last year, from losing and getting runner-up, I think we’re more determined this year.
“I think we work well as a team together. We’ve gained a lot of new people and I think gaining those new people has helped our team a lot.”
The Tigers were unable to finish off East Hardy in 2016 as the Cougars rallied from a two sets to none deficit to win in five sets. The previous year, Wirt County barely made it out of the sectional and ended up rallying past Magnolia to win a state title.
“Sophomore year (2015), we definitely did not think we had a chance. I mean we were working and we were trying, but it was definitely out of the blue and unexpected to win,” Frazier recalled of upending Magnolia. “I think sophomore year because it was so unexpected, we were definitely ecstatic about it.
“Then last year we went in with higher hopes, but I think that has made us work even harder and we just want to get back at it this year. Last year, we definitely had higher hopes going into it and whenever we came home without the championship, I mean, it was definitely a tough pill to swallow for quite a while.”
The duo were both named to the first team of the Class A all-state squad as juniors.
Like Frazier, Moore doesn’t focus too much on the past and is more worried about getting better each day.
“We’re not like where we should be yet, but I think we’ll still continue to grow,” added the outside hitter Moore. “We just connect well together. Like there is not much drama on the team and we are all like really close friends, so that’s what makes it fun because we are all playing together as friends.
“Two years ago, we didn’t think we were going to win at all, but we just never stopped. We just kept going. We can’t win like every time and hopefully that loss (to East Hardy) will just make us more determined for this year to win.”
The Tigers also boast some other talented seniors in middle hitter Loden Campbell, libero Emily Cottrell as well as defensive specialists Taylor Anderson and Mahala Greenleaf.
“I think all of us being seniors, we’re just kind of not focusing on the senior thing,” admitted the setter Frazier. “We are more focused on the team and just trying to get everyone as a whole better throughout the year. I think the underclassmen are definitely stepping up and the upperclassmen are too. It’s just putting all the pieces together.
“Everyone is working hard and trying their best. I just think as a whole, we work really well together and we can tell each other anything that we want better from each other, so we make each other work for one another. We really focus on the little aspects of the game and just having fun is a big thing for us, just having fun and playing.”
Despite knowing their senior year on the court soon will be over, the two all-staters had a little different take on their final go-around as Tigers.
“It’s sad,” Moore continued. “It definitely is really sad and I can’t believe this is my last year because I can just remember freshman year coming in and I was so scared.”
As for Frazier, whose mother Janet is the longtime coach at WCHS, “it will be fine whatever happens. I don’t know. I think more than anything we focus on the team thing.
“It’s fun and we all love playing with each other. I think that’s what it’s about more than anything is playing for each other. It’s what we really enjoy.”