Sports Editor All eight of Piedmont’s senior volleyball players agree that the fourth-ranked Lady Wildcats’ chemistry is at an all-time high as they prepare to host regionals Monday at Piedmont High School.
With two more wins, Piedmont (24-9) will earn back-to-back trips to state for the first time in school history. Piedmont’s four-team regional includes No. 13 McAlester, Elgin and Midwest City. The regional title is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday.
“We’re hype to get to play,” senior Hannah Carlton said.
The talent has always been there for this senior class, veteran head coach Tom Williams said, but it took time for the group to gel into a state title contender.
“Part of it is just growing up,” Williams said. “We still have our moments, but we make our way through it.”
This senior class – made up of Emery Hulme, Macy Lee, Carlton, Jacqueline Stovall, Alleyah Hamblin, Paige Hester, Kaylie Marshall and Ella Watkins – is guaranteed to finish with a winning record for their careers, but this team’s goals extend well beyond that.
“A lot of them are starting to realize that this is their last hurrah,” Williams said, “and they don’t want to go out in a bad way.”
Some of the seniors are multi-year starters and all have been contributors since their freshmen season. That makes Piedmont one of the most experienced teams in the state, and now they’re one of the most tight-knit.
Between school ball in the fall and club season in the spring and summer, these Lady ‘Cats have developed an uncanny cohesion on the floor.
“Before, we didn’t communicate well enough to be on the same page,” Hamblin said. “But now we know what’s going on, on the court before it ever happens because we know each other so well.”
The Lady Wildcats’ improved chemistry helped them out of a slump midway through the year as PHS rallied to beat Yukon twice in two days for a tournament championship at Noble.
“In the past, we hadn’t held our composure,” Watkins said. “That last game (vs. Yukon) was a turning point because we realized we could beat teams even when we are behind.”
Hulme missed an important serve during Piedmont’s rally against the Millers, but no one panicked or got off-kilter. Instead, Lee, the team’s setter, was right there with a high five and words of encouragement.
“The relationships we’ve built are way stronger than they were freshmen year when we were just a bunch of individuals,” Hulme said.
The process hasn’t always been smooth, though. In 2019, Piedmont was just 6-19 overall and lost in straight sets in the regional playoffs. As Piedmont endured that frustrating 2019 season, the future, at times, seemed bleak.
“I had hopes, but I didn’t really know what would happen,” Stovall said.
A year later, PHS finished 17-15 overall and won a set against Sapulpa in the regional final before bowing out.
“Our confidence started really high this year,” Hamblin said.
All eight of the seniors contribute in different ways. Watkins, Marshall and Carlton primarily play at the net, while Hester, Hamblin, Lee, Stovall and Hulme patrol the floor.
Combined with the skill provided by the underclassmen, Piedmont has its most complete team yet and, as the playoffs begin, there’s a deep-seated belief among every player on the team that this could be an historic season.
“We’ve been in this rodeo once, now it’s time to actually win it,” Hamblin said.
“We expect to go to state and play well there,” Williams added.
No matter what happens in the playoffs, this class has cemented its legacy.
“I think, overall, they’re the ones who turned this program around,” Williams said
