Warlassies open the season with four straight victories

Owen volleyball Topples Rosman, 3-0, at home

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 21, 2025

A flawless beginning to the 2025 volleyball season continued for Owen, Aug. 21, with a 3-0 victory at home over Rosman.

The win, which came on the birthday of head coach Nikki Hinson, marked the fourth straight for the Warlassies and the program’s best start in nearly two decades.

Owen, led by outside hitter Ava Grant and her fellow junior Mia Roland, established an advantage early against the 2-1 Tigers, taking the first set 25-13. The Warlassies went on to claim each of the next two sets, 25-12, notching their second win in three days while improving to 4-0.

Owen has yet to drop a set to an opponent this season,

“We’re coming out ready to play every night. We have extremely strong hitters and great blockers, so all of that is helping us a lot right now,” Hinson said, following the victory. “Everybody wants to win and when you start out winning, it gives you confidence, but it also puts a little pressure on you. It’s definitely giving the girls a little bit of confidence, but, at the same time, we know we have to keep working and keep progressing.”

Roland, the daughter of the head coach and a team captain, credits her teammates’ passion and dedication for the strong start to the campaign.

“We’re all showing up, working hard and doing the little things,” she said. “We know we just have to work to control the game and play at our speed.”

Owen dictated the tempo throughout the night against Rosman, before gathering on the court to sing “Happy Birthday” to the coach.

“It felt really nice,” Roland said of the team gifting her a mother a win on her birthday. “It’s nowhere near what she deserves, because of all the time and effort she puts into us and this team, but it’s a small way we can show our appreciation.”

The Warlassies, who have not started a season with four straight victories in at least 18 years, will work to stay on track, beginning at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 26, when they host Enka.

“I’m proud of the way the girls have played so far, but we all know we still have work to do,” Hinson said. “You don’t want to get complacent, especially this early in the season, so it’s important that we focus on getting better. These are great wins for us, but we haven’t started conference play, and we have some strong programs in our conference. No matter what, we still have to grind it out.”

Photos of Owen’s 3-0 victory over Rosman can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.