The regular season for the Lady Rams volleyball team is now over. As of press, Varsity’s season record is 24-6. Varsity’s record is compiled of regular games and tournament games from the season. The team played in a total of three tournaments throughout this year’s season, and won first place for the Henryville tournament.
As the Rams started their season this year, they experienced an entirely new coaching staff as well. The Varsity Head Coach is Audrey Miller, a past Paoli graduate and past Paoli volleyball player. The Assistant Varsity Coach is Scott Blankenbaker, Miller’s father, and the Junior Varsity Coach is
Lexi Stroud, who was also a past Paoli graduate and volleyball player.
“I have a very talented group of girls that are prepared to go above and beyond to accomplish their goals. They come in every day ready to work hard and compete. My biggest goal for the team this year is to get a Sectional Championship, and I believe if they keep working hard and put their minds to it we’ve got a great chance,” said Miller.
Along with an experienced coaching staff, the team also has a large group of experienced players. The team is composed of nine seniors, seven of which have played together since junior high. The experience and bond the girls have has proved to be vital throughout the season.
“I think having nine seniors helps the trust and chemistry of the team. We all know how to encourage each other, but also push each other to play the best we can each game. We aren’t shy to have a tough love for each other,” said senior Nadia Garcia.
Garcia is one of the three Varsity Captains this year, joined by fellow seniors Faith Gammon and Lily Stroud.
Although the regular season games are over for the team, sectionals are coming up quickly. The team gathered together to listen to the sectional draw held on October 1. This year’s sectional is being hosted by Henryville. The Lady Rams got the
bye, and will play the winner of Brownstown and Henryville on October 14.
“I think our biggest thing we need to work on to prepare for Sectionals is keeping our energy and momentum up. We have a tendency to come out very strong in the first set and kind of die down after that. We need to work on staying up and staying positive,” said Miller.
Sectionals will begin on October 12. In comparison to the other schools in the Sectionals bracket, according to MaxPreps, Paoli mis ranked 17th in 2A. The teams above the Lady Rams in rankings are Brownstown, ranked 9th, and Mitchell, ranked 14th. The teams ranked below the Lady Rams are Austin, ranked 60th, Henryville, ranked 78th, and Eastern High School, ranked 83rd.
