Warlassies get back to business
Owen volleyball returns to form in season opener
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 14, 2025
Last September, the Warlassies were riding a wave of momentum on the volleyball court, where they won six of seven matches before Tropical Storm Helene forced them to pause the season for nearly a month.
As the Owen volleyball team returned to the court, Aug. 12, to open its 2025 campaign, a 3-0 victory over North Henderson signaled the Warlassies are ready to get back to business.
Led by a core group of rising juniors and seniors, including Mia Roland, Kenzie Robinson, Adeline West, Ava Grant, Easton Whitson and Gracyn Farish, Owen outdueled the Knights, 25-9, 25-13, 25-4. The performance reflected the players’ commitment to training throughout the offseason, according to third-year head coach Nikki Hinson.
“It showed them what our season could look like, because we came out pretty strong,” Hinson said. “We knew it was important to start things off with a win in our first home game, and these girls have been working hard getting ready for this season.”
The Owen attack is facilitated by Robinson, who is entering her third season as captain and starting setter. She credits her teammates with taking advantage of their time away from campus this summer.
“Most of us were focused on going to open gyms and getting better,” she said. “We’re all determined to win this season, so a lot of players spent the offseason finding ways to put in work. I think it really shows this team’s overall commitment to doing whatever we have to do to get better, individually and as a team.”
One of those players is West, a junior middle hitter who opened her campaign with a strong showing against the Knights.
“All summer I did lessons with my club coaches and I’ve had some opportunities to train with some college programs,” she said. “I’ve had so many coaches who have really helped my development a lot this offseason, and I feel like that’s made me a quicker and more decisive player.”
West is one of many weapons surrounding Robinson, whose role on the team is to position her teammates for scoring opportunities in front of the net. Few have been as a consistently productive as outside hitter and defensive specialist Roland, who led the Warlassies with 113 kills and 186 digs while recording 20 blocks as a sophomore.
The emergence of Grant, an explosive outside and right side hitter who notched 72 kills last year, and the steady presence of seniors Whitson and Farish, leaves Robinson with an array of powerful options.
“For me, I’ve learned to play with each of my hitters, individually, so I’ve gotten to know where they are on the court at all times,” said Robinson, who led Owen with 208 assists on 749 ball handling attempts while also recording 110 digs a season ago. “Growing up, one of the first things I was taught as a setter was to be aware of where your teammates are so you always have an option. At this point, I really know my hitters, so I always know how to set them up.”
The team was ready to get to work when they came back to the gym in June, according to the head coach.
“Everybody was here by 7:15 a.m. everyday,” Hinson said. “I have a lot of girls who not only work hard through practice, but want to stay after and do extra work on specific skills.”
With only two seniors, the roster, which features seven juniors, is “still a young group,” she added, even though many of them have been starters or key contributors since their freshman year. That familiarity denotes another strength for the Warlassies, according to Robinson.
“We all grew up together and this is a small school, so we’ve all been really close for quite a while,” she said. “The majority of us have played club volleyball together, but outside of the sport, we all still hang out together and genuinely like each other.”
The supportive environment encourages each player to strive to reach their maximum potential, according to West.
“For me, I want to become a dominant player and help my teammates be the best they can be,” she said. “I want to eventually play college volleyball, so this team gives me an opportunity to learn how to be the most useful player I can be. That’s easier to do when you have coaches and players who are so supportive.”
Owen, who will travel to North Buncombe, Friday, Aug. 15, for a 6 p.m. matchup against the Black Hawks, will face new challenges in a realigned WHC, as it switches from a split 1A and 2A conference to 2A and 3A. The newest members, back-to-back NCHSAA 1A Sate Champion Polk County and Hendersonville, are both former WHC teams, while Rosman, Draughn and the N.C. School of Science Math Morganton have shuffled out. Longtime members Madison, Avery County, Mitchell and Mountain Heritage remain.
“It’s going to be a different look for us this year, with the realignment, and we have to play some tough teams with a lot of success in the past,” Hinson said. “But, because we’ve been together for a couple of years and we’re still young, we have the chemistry and ability to have a great season.”
West and her teammates are not deterred.
“If we maintain the level of communication we had tonight and each of us keep working to be stronger players all around, we’re going to have success,” she said. “I think when you look at the things we did tonight, that’s the way we need to play every night if we want to win this year.”
After seeing her teammates respond to the many challenges of 2024, Robinson is optimistic about Owen’s ability to build on a program that is now 26-12 since the arrival of Hinson and the soon-to-be junior class of players.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence going into this season, because I trust everyone on this team so much,” Robinson said. “It’s a huge advantage knowing whoever I set the ball for is going to do something with it that will help us. The players on this team are smart, talented, did the work in the offseason and they’re all really good people. If we stick together, as a team, we’re going to win.”
Photos of Owen volleyball’s opening night victory over North Henderson can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.