The high school volleyball season began this week for teams around Lexington County.  As they get started, many schools will play out-of-region opponents to prepare for the conference season.

Gilbert and White Knoll got things started Monday with a match between two local Lexington County schools. It was the first opportunity for both of these teams to test their rosters in a game that counts on their record.

“We love it. We’re always out here and just got a great group of young ladies this year,” Gilbert head coach Jackie Shealy said. “We’re getting along very well and they’re very supportive of each other. We’ve got some young players that have come in and joined us and it’s good to see them interacting with some of the experienced girls. And just that enthusiasm that we’re getting from everyone, it’s been nice.”

The Indians defeated White Knoll in straight sets to start the year with a win. The first set was smooth sailing for the Indians thanks to the solid execution of their gameplan.

“The first set I felt like we went out there and were very consistent with our passing, which led us to have an offense that we were running,” Shealy said.

The second set was very competitive and the Indians trailed most of the way. White Knoll jumped to a quick lead and slowly built it by multiple scores. Their Timberwolves were energetic and kept their foot on the gas.

Gilbert meanwhile looked sluggish, making avoidable mistakes and sometimes overhitting the ball.

“I think we got a little too relaxed after the first set as we went into the second one,” Shealy said. “It was almost like we were just waiting for White Knoll to make a mistake and get us points back. They just had to regroup and put their mind to it and play with some heart.”

White Knoll led by as many as four points in the set, but Gilbert clawed their way back in it to tie the contest at 21 before taking the lead. During the two stoppages, Shealy made sure to let her team know they could still win the set and end the game early.

“Make sure we weren’t second guessing ourselves and getting out there and making sure we were talking following where the ball was coming from, just playing with heart and just being relentless,”  she said.

Gibert and White Knoll traded blows until the match was tied at 24. The Indians scored two unanswered points and ended the set on a kill to seal the game. Shealy said she was pleased with her entire team and that almost everyone had bright moments.

“I don’t think there was just one person,” Shealy said. “Some people were on at different times when they were playing. And I’m not going to call out one person. I think we just came back as a team.”

Despite the win, there are things Shealy said the team can do moving forward to improve. Gilbert followed the White Knoll game with a match against former region rival Orangeburg-Wilkinson. The team will take the court again this Thursday, Aug. 29, for a road match against Lugoff-Elgin.

“We’ve got to definitely make sure that we are passing to our target and not putting our setters off the net,” Shealy said. “We’ve got big hitters, big blockers, and we know we just got to pick up our level of play and make sure that we’re covering our hitters.”