by Elizabeth Trautman
Polk County’s Lady Varsity Volleyball Team had three straight conference wins last week. The team won the first three games in the matches, putting them at 10-0 in their league and 14-4 overall.
Polk took on the Madison Patriots from Marshall, N.C. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, winning the first game 25-10, the second 25-11 and the third 25-15. Madison struggled to return the ball, and when they did, Polk was ready, finishing the match with a total of 44 kills and 36 digs.
“We are focusing on playing to the end and not rushing through the season,” Coach Heather Claussen said. “The girls are really intent on finishing well this year and we’re putting emphasis on staying as mentally tough as we are physically tough.”
Two days later, on Sept. 27, the Lady Wolverines traveled to Burnsville to take on the Mountain Heritage Cougars. Again, Polk County left with a straight 3-0 victory. The ladies had 34 kills for the match, 10 by senior Katie Ruff and nine by Polk sophomore Sarah Phipps. The Wolverines marked 44 digs, led by sophomore Kara Overholt, who had 13 digs for the match.  The games’ final scores were 25-18, 25-18 and 25-10.
Then while playing at home on Tuesday, Oct. 2, the Lady Wolverines brought in another 3-0 win against Mitchell’s Mountaineers from Bakersville.  The final scores of 25-9, 25-12, and 25-12 made it evident that Polk County was the more developed and skilled team. Chelsea Kelly, a Polk County High School senior, served three aces. In the win, Polk had 28 total kills, seven aces served and 25 digs.
Polk County also won a non-conference match against Brevard’s Blue Devils, 3-1, on Monday, Oct. 1. The Lady Wolverines had several close games, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23 and finished for the win with a game of 27-25. Savannah Deaver, a senior, had 14 of the team’s 47 total kills and Shayln Brown, also a senior, had 23 of the team’s 72 digs.
With just a few more matches to go, Polk County will be watching to see if the Wolverines will remain undefeated in conference before playoffs begin.