Warlassies set for another big season

Owen opens volleyball campaign with 3-0 victory despite key injury

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 12, 2026

With the start of the school year nearly two weeks away, the 2026 volleyball season began, Aug. 11, in the Owen High School gymnasium.

The Warlassies, despite an injury to a key player, opened the campaign with a 3-0 victory over Erwin.

Owen entered the season with eight seniors returning from a roster that posted a 20-2 record last year, earning the program’s first Western Highlands Conference Championship since 1993, and an appearance in the second round of the playoffs. Led by fourth-year head coach Nikki Hinson, the team features a core of accomplished athletes who have competed together since middle school.

“These girls have played together since they were in seventh grade,” Hinson said. “They trust each other, know how to pick each other up and they know their strengths and weaknesses, so we’re pretty fortunate to have this group of players.”

Returning senior starters like reigning team MVP and WHC Offensive Player of the Year Adeline West, setter and right side hitter Kenzie Robinson, outside hitter Ava Grant and defensive specialist and libero Avery Boone entered their first match of the season without multi-sport standout Mia Roland, who suffered an injury during an Aug. 10 practice. A rotation of talented freshmen, sophomores and juniors, including Ellison Duvall, Ella Farish, Ellie Lollis, Reid Pomeroy and Evyn Core were tasked with filling roles left vacant by the graduation of a pair of middle hitters and the absence of Roland, who led the team in multiple statistical categories in each of the past three seasons.

The infusion of younger players with varied skill sets has allowed the staff to implement a new system, according to the coach.

“We’re able to run a 6-2 this year, which we haven’t done before, because Ellison Duvall came up from junior varsity, and she’s a really good asset,” Hinson said. “That formation gives us two setters, so instead of just having Kenzie Robinson set everything, it gives us another hitter and blocker, taking a little of the pressure off of Kenzie.”

The adjustment allows the hitters to focus on the attack, she added.

“We still have some learning to do on who gets what ball, but now those two know if the other setter gets there first, they can put their teammates in the right position,” Hinson said. “Having the ability to do that really creates opportunities for us.”

As the Warlassies adjusted to the new offense, Erwin established an early lead, holding a 10-8 advantage nearly halfway through the first set. Consecutive kills by West later gave Owen an 11-10 advantage, which they increased on the way to a 25-20 victory. A tightly contested second set ended in a 25-23 win for the Warlassies, who sealed the match with a 25-16 performance in the final frame.

While the veteran players predictably raised their respective levels of play in the absence of the head coach’s daughter, Roland, it was the emergence of a freshman outside hitter who competed in the junior varsity match earlier in the evening that caught Hinson’s attention.

“I had to reach out to Evyn Core last night and say, ‘I need you tomorrow,’” the coach said. “She played the first set on JV and we had to kind of teach her on the fly. The team was phenomenal with helping to walk her through warmups, and I think that settled the nerves for her. She did a great job and she’s going to be special.”

An exact date for Roland’s return is currently unknown, according to Hinson, but the combination of experienced leadership and diverse talent will assist with the necessary adjustments.

“They’re good enough to make changes on the fly,” the coach said. “We’ll have a tough start, but whatever we do we’re doing it together. All I want is effort and good attitude, and we can figure it out. It’s much better to be dealing with this now, before we get into our conference games.”

Roland’s presence on the bench provides keen insight, she added.

“She was able to see some things from the sideline, came out and talked to some of the girls, individually,” Hinson said. “She’s able to say things in a way where they respond better, because they’re used to being out there with her. She did a great job playing that role on the bench.”

Adversity, however, is nothing new for most of the players on the Owen roster, said the former teacher who moved into an assistant principal position at Community High School.

“We had the storm, changes in players and they’ve been amazing with my change with work, which doesn’t allow me to be here as much as I have been in the past,” Hinson said. “I just keep reminding them that, for most of them, this season will be the last time they go out there and compete for Owen. While I want us to win, and even be better than we were last season, I really want them to enjoy this. It’s going to go by quicker than they expect and I want them to make the most of it.”

The Warlassies will return to their home court at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 12, when they host Enka.

“These girls have built something really special,” Hinson said. “We’re all excited to see what we can do this season.”

Photos of the 2026 Owen volleyball opener can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.