No. 9 Walters State cruises to fourth straight Region VII Championship

MORRISTOWN, TN – No. 9 Walters State continued to do what they have done every match this season Friday night in the Region VII Championship against Chattanooga State. 

Dominate.  

The Lady Senators wasted no time against the Lady Tigers, easily dispatching them in the first two sets, before holding on in set three for a 3-0 (25-12, 25-13, 25-19) sweep of Chattanooga State.  

The victory locked up the Lady Senators fourth straight Region VII title.  

"It was a total team effort," head coach Megan Blaylock said. "We can't be that well-rounded and not have everyone contributing in some type of way. I am super proud we were able to do it and pull it off again for the fourth straight time." 

After the match, Blaylock was named the Co-Coach of the Year for the region, her third straight time winning the award. Blaylock has led the Lady Senators to a 17-1 record this season and an undefeated 14-0 record in the conference. The Lady Senators are currently ranked No. 9 in the country, their highest ranking in program history. 

"I wish it was coaching staff of the year," Blaylock said. "Erika (Waycaster) is a very, very big part of our program and does an unbelievable job.  

"I am very proud to receive this. It says a lot, especially coming from your peers. It means a lot and is really special."  

Along with Blaylock's award, Olivia Oxendine was also named the Region VII Most Valuable Player for the second straight year. 

Oxendine has been a rock for the Lady Senators for the past two years and is always there to get the Lady Senators back on track when they need her the most.  

"Olivia has been our go-to in more ways than one," Blaylock said. "Offensively, we can always count on Liv to score for us and be aggressive when we need her to. She's also led in ways that I can't really describe. She's really good for our freshmen, showing them what to expect."  

While Oxendine was at it again on Friday night, it was two freshmen who really stepped up big when the Lady Senators needed it.  

As has been the case all season, Devyn Davis, who was named to the All-Region team and was the tournament MVP, provided a huge spark off the bench in all three sets. And, specifically in the second set, it was Mackenzie Sweigart with some key kills that allowed the Lady Senators take over. 

"To think about next fall, to have this core group of freshmen has me super excited," Blaylock said. "They have all gotten really good experience this season, and they have developed so much. I am really excited about this group."  

Walters State came out the gate on another level Friday evening, scoring the first seven points of the match before Chattanooga State could even blink. Chattanooga State finally got on the board and scored five straight points of their own before both teams fought back-and-forth. 

However, with the score 10-8 in favor of Walters State, the Lady Senators took over and built up a 22-12 lead. They would score the last three points of the set to take it 25-12. 

In set two, it was Chattanooga State who came out firing as they went up early and had the score tied 3-3. Then, the Lady Senators attacked again, scoring five straight points before the Lady Tigers were forced to use a timeout.  

From there, the Lady Senators took firm control and got up 20-11 before taking the set 25-13. 

In set three, Chattanooga State began to assert their authority a bit and led 8-5 early on. But the Lady Senators woke up after a timeout, scoring three straight points to tie the set. From there, the Lady Senators never trailed again and while Chattanooga State kept it close, they could never get over the hump. Walters State served the set out taking it, 25-19.  

UP NEXT: 

Walters State will now have a week off before returning to action next Friday, April 2, in the NJCAA Southeast District B Championship. The Lady Senators will host Fayetteville Tech Community College at 5 p.m.  

For Blaylock and her team, it will be a different feeling on Friday as they play a team that they haven't played four to five times already this season. However, Blaylock said the preparation doesn't change. 

"We're just going at it head on like we have done against the other teams this season we had not seen before," Blaylock said. "We're just going to worry about what we're doing. If we can control what we are doing on our side of the court, everything else will fall into place."  

Rob Harvey

Walters State Community College

Sports Information Director

Cell: (423) 779-8880

Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu

Website: www.ws.edu/athletics