The Burris Owls finished the regular season with a 23-4 record. However, that wasn’t the goal for the 2023 campaign.
“[The team] has a really good mental state for the most part,” Owls’ head coach Jim Craig said. “These guys were pretty good about the highs and lows of the season.”
However, that wasn’t the goal for the 2023 campaign. The Owls had not won a sectional championship since the 2014 season.
Coming into Sectional 40 hosted by Wes-Del High School, the Owls were ready. In their first two games, the Owls swept Winchester Community and Alexandria Monroe 3-0.
Then it was time for the finale. After three sets of dominant volleyball, the Owls swept Lapel 3-0 to take Burris’ first sectional championship in nine years.
“It’s pretty crazy,” senior Aubrey Miller said. “We’ve wanted this forever and it’s amazing to actually do it.”
Burris started the first set with fire as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead, forcing a timeout by Lapel. Following the timeout, the Bulldogs started to fight back as they only trailed 17-16 later in the set. However, the Owls went on to win the set 25-20.
The second set started very similar to the first as the Owls led 7-2. Then the Owls put pedal to the metal as they went on to win the set 25-11. The final set of the night was very similar as Burris gave it everything, winning the set 25-12 and taking the match.
“It’s a little bit of a relief,” Craig said. [Burris] hasn’t pulled out a sectional [championship] for a while. The kids have been homing in on this all year.”
One of the key pieces for the Owls has been junior Lilly Howell. She leads the team in kills per game (3.9) and total blocks (47).
“We all love each other,” Howell said. “We are one big family and I think that means a lot. We have the skills to back it up. We have great defense, great setters, great hitters, and great everything.”
While Craig believes everyone did well, he was impressed with freshman Ja’Maria Jackson.
“Tonight was a coming-of-age moment for her, “he said. “She just got up and smoked the ball. I was surprised they didn’t have double blockers on her.”
Another piece that has aided the Owls has been the seven seniors. To Howell, they have been the ones to keep everything in check.
“They have been great leaders,” she said. “They have shown us how to get it done.”
The Owls will move on to the Regional 10 at Elwood High School. As of now, the Owls will wait to see who they play. To continue the success, Miller believes that they need to remember what has gotten them this far.
“[We need to] not get down,” she said. “When points are critical, they are critical. We need to ball out the entire game no matter the score and no matter how everyone is playing. Energy is everything.”
Other sectional results around the county included Daleville winning the Sectional 55 Championship, Yorktown winning the Sectional 8 Championship, and Delta falling to New Castle in Sectional 24.
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or on X @ZachCarter85.
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