Woodruff Middle School Volleyball Team Caps Perfect Season with a Championship
By: Garrett Mitchell, Staff Writer
It was not easy for the Woodruff Middle School Lady Cubs’ volleyball team, but winning championships rarely are.
Woodruff, which ran through the Foothills Conference with an undefeated 11-0 record, capped their perfect season with thrilling semi-final and final match victories over Campobello-Gramling and Rainbow Lake to put an exclamation point on their championship campaign.
The Lady Cubs were simply perfect, finishing 14-0.
“This team is very special,” said head coach Tonja Westmoreland. “They are a family and have really bonded and made new friendships. They get along, they like each other, and they work hard. They have their own driven ability to be the best they can be.”
The final two matches, played at Mabry Middle School in Inman on Saturday morning, were absolute barn burners.
Woodruff defeated Campobello-Gramling in straight sets, but they were grueling. Set one went to the Lady Cubs 28-26, with set two a 25-23 win to propel Woodruff into the championship match against the third seed Rainbow Lake Gators.
Leading 16-13 in the first set of the championship match, it seemed as if the wheels came off for Woodruff. Rainbow Lake scored 11 unanswered points and 12 of the final 13 to stun the Lady Cubs 25-17 in the first set.
With their backs to the wall, Coach Westmoreland’s message was simple.
“I told them to bring their confidence back up,” she said. “I know they had a shock factor because we had beaten Rainbow Lake the first time we played them. I told them, now you know where they’re hitting, and you know where they’re serving to, so we have to pull it together and fight together. That’s what they did.”
Woodruff found themselves trailing again late in the second set, but this time, the Lady Cubs used a big run to get back into it.
With a series of excellent serves and exemplary play at the net from Jensyn Turner and Ruthie Sheffield, the Lady Cubs rallied to take a 22-19 lead and finished off the set, 25-22, setting up a decisive, 15-point set for the championship.
Again, the Gators jumped ahead to a 9-5 lead, and with everything on the line, a service error turned the tide and handed the ball back to Woodruff.
The Lady Cubs took full advantage, scoring nine consecutive points to forge ahead 14-9, needing but one more point to capture the title.
Rainbow Lake scored two to cut the deficit to 14-11, but following a long rally that featured two great digs to keep the possession alive, Turner received a clean set, skied above the net, and slammed home the clinching kill as the Lady Cubs rushed the court in celebration.
“We definitely got down on ourselves some,” Turner said. “But our belief in each other helped us get this win. We knew we were going to finish strong and win.”
Kylie Bailey and Sheffield were a force along the net as well, with Sheffield teaming with Turner for multiple kill shots that had the Gators back-peddling throughout the match. Both players said they will take special memories away from a season that will be remembered for a long time.
“It feels really good,” said Sheffield. “We’ve been putting hard work in all season, and it feels good for it to pay off.”
Bailey added, “Tips and spikes. That’s how we were able to win all of our matches.”
The trio of Turner, Sheffield, and Bailey, all eighth-graders, will be moving on to the high school next season, where they will be key members of the Lady Wolverines’ program for years to come along with the rest of their teammates. But for now, each member of the Lady Cubs’ program are going to enjoy the moment and an incredible season.
Again, perfection is not easy. Taking pride in it, though, certainly is.
“(My best memory will be) they cheered each other on and supported each other,” said Coach Westmoreland. “They did this together as a family.”
Author: Tracy Sanders
