Lady Wildcats end season in regionals
Oak Ridge High School’s volleyball team saw its 2024 season come to an end early last week.
The Lady Wildcats were eliminated from the Region 2-AAA tournament as they were swept by Maryville at Farragut High School’s Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium.
Oak Ridge, the District 3-AAA tournament runner-up, finishes the season with an overall record of 11-20.
The Lady Wildcats finished third in the regular-season standings with a 7-5 record. They upset second-seeded Knox Central in the district tournament semifinals before losing to county rival Clinton in the district championship.
The Lady Wildcats had lofty expectations and certainly wanted to achieve more.
Oak Ridge, however, made a return to the region tournament after missing out in 2023.
With a young team, Coach Audrey Sherles expressed pride in her squad’s accomplishments in 2024.
“I think we played the mental game really well, and I think we tried to peak at the right time,” Sherles said. “I think we did peak at the right time, and we gave ourselves a chance to do well in the district tournament. I’m proud of the team.
“Our district is getting more competitive, and that’s a good thing,” she said. “This was one of the mos-exciting district tournaments that we’ve had in a long time. Both Farragut and Maryville made it to the state from our region.”
Despite losing seniors Peyton Uptgraft (setter), Marissa Kenworthy (libero), and Heidi Wayland (defensive specialist), Sherles remains optimistic about the future of the program.
“We’re losing three seniors, and they’re all really good players,” Sherles said. “We pulled up some girls from JV to see how they would do late in the year, and that went pretty well.
“We have some good players coming back, and we’re looking forward to next year,” she said.