Volleyball County is one of the early tournaments in the season that shows how later events like sectionals will stack up.

The Lady Woodmen were off to a rough start only winning one out of their first five games.

“We need to get stronger on our defense and be more active on the court throughout the game. If we fix that, we should start winning more games,” senior Addison Whitecotten, OH, said.

However, there have still been some bright spots in the season. Many members of the team graduated and new freshmen came in, but the team chemistry is better than ever.

“Usually when a new set of players comes in and new people take on leadership roles, it can be hard. We have done really well keeping a strong team bond,” junior Karissa Harris, OH, said.

The County tournament is a great chance to turn the season around and pick up important wins against teams to be faced again later in the season.

“If we play to our fullest potential, we could place high in County. We are all strong individuals and if we bring our talent together for County this year, we will go far,” junior Lillian Wells, L, said.

In order to place well in major tournaments, lots of preparation is needed.

“We have worked heavily on ball control and drilling and putting the ball where it needs to go. We have also worked on getting more reps in serve receive,” Harris said.

The county tournament showcases some of the best teams in the area with teams, such as Franklin, Whiteland and Center Grove. 

Last season, the Lady Woodmen faced a second-round exit in the tournament to Franklin. This season, their first game is against Whietland, who they faced a 3-1 loss to earlier this season.

The highest ranked team in the county, and the defending champions, Center Grove will be the strongest competition. They feature an incredible depth of talent and multiple division- one commits on their starting line-up.

“The competition is very tough, but many of the teams we have to face later in the season like Sectionals. We are going to make it a goal to beat some of the good teams in the County,” Wells said.