Quicker, faster game play key for Lady ’Cats
Oak Ridge High School is gearing up for the 2024 volleyball season, which is just around the corner.
It has been a long offseason for the Lady Wildcats, who, despite playing on their home court at Wildcat Arena, failed to advance past the District 3-AAA tournament last year.
They were eliminated by sixth-seeded Powell, which went on a late-season and postseason run, defeating third-seeded Karns and the Lady Wildcats to advance to the tournament championship match.
Powell was swept by top-seeded Clinton in the finals.
“Our expectation and our goal is always to get out of the regional and make it to the sectional,” said head Coach Audrey Sherles, who will soon begin her third season at the helm for Oak Ridge. “We didn’t make it last year.”
The Lady Wildcats, who play one of the area’s toughest schedules, struggled at times last season, finishing 10-15 overall. However, they went 7-3 in District 3-AAA and finished second in the league behind in-county rival Clinton. The Lady Dragons had a breakout 2023 campaign, winning both the regular-season title and the tournament championship for the first time in school history.
At times, success for Oak Ridge came as a surprise, but Sherles is hoping that will not be the case in 2024.
“We have to get to a point where we expect to be successful,” she said. “We have to get to the point that when we have success, we’re not surprised by it.
The Lady Wildcats did not rest during the offseason.
“A lot of our girls have been active throughout the year, whether they were playing club or working out,” Sherles said.
Oak Ridge will look to speed things up on the court this season.
“We want to play a faster and quicker tempo this year, and we have to because one of our areas of concern is height,” Sherles said.
“At Oak Ridge, we never have height, and that’s our No. 1 area of concern,” she said. “We have to get the younger girls used to playing the faster tempo of the varsity game because we play some tough competition and we want to continue facing that level of competition.”
Last year, the Lady Wildcats sometimes fell behind and could not recover, which proved costly.
“We need to ride the wave of the game and not the wave of emotion,” Sherles said.
The Lady Wildcats will have three returning seniors in their starting lineup: defensive specialist Heidi Wayland, setter Peyton Uptgraft, and libero Marissa Kenworthy, all back for their final season.
Other key returners for Oak Ridge include outside hitters Maggie Williams (junior) and Camryn McGinnis (sophomore).
These veterans will provide leadership this season, Sherles said.
Key newcomers are Stephanie Kenworthy (freshman, defensive specialist), Zya Wilson (freshman, middle blocker), and Caroline Laffoon (freshman, setter).
The Lady Wildcats open the 2024 campaign on Monday, Aug. 19, with a short trip to Anderson County. They will then host Powell the following night to open district play.