GASTON, IN - The 2024 Delaware County volleyball season got underway Tuesday evening with the Daleville Broncos (2-0) traveling to take on the Wes-Del Warriors (0-1)for the first inter-county match for either squad.
For the maroon and gray, this was the first action of the new season. The black and gold were eyeing some revenge after the Warriors swept the Broncos in both matches last season.
Daleville came out swinging early showing their hunger to take down their rival and exact their vengeance from last season. The Broncos jumped out to an early 15-8 lead in the opening set and were feeding off of the energy from their bench.
“I’ve told them everybody has a role,” Daleville head coach Gayle Hicks said. “Even if you’re not on the court, you’re still a part of the team and you make a difference.”
It was a very different feel on the opposing side of the court as the Warriors were visibly frustrated with their play.
“I thought we competed well,” Wes-Del head coach Jon Vernon said. “We just have to be able to play at that pace. It’s just a different type of pace with the freshman playing at that level.”
With the black and gold jumping out to an early lead, the Warriors never could gain any traction offensively and struggled for the entirety as Daleville took the opening set 25-11.
The Broncos were playing extremely well and the offense was firing on all cylinders thanks in large part to sophomore outside hitter Maddie Rees.
“It’s going to be fun the next couple of years with her,” Hicks said. “She does not lack confidence, she’s always been strong and played with the older girls too. She just goes right in there.”
The youth of Wes-Del played a significant role throughout the match. With the fast-paced play of the Broncos, the younger Warriors couldn’t keep up and looked a little overwhelmed in what was many of their first varsity matches.
“I think it was fast and that’s part of the problem,” Vernon said. “Right now we’ve got four freshmen who’re starting and the speed of the game is so fast right now they’re having to adjust on the fly, and this is the first time they’ve ever played at this level.”
The exact opposite was true for the black and gold who have a plethora of players with much experience with the fast-paced play of varsity ball. However, despite the experience on the roster, it was lone sophomore, Rees, that made her presence felt the most on the court.
“The teammates play a big role, my sister [Cassidy Rees] being one of them,” Rees said. “I play offseason with a lot of them too so it’s easy to feel supported and feel welcome on the team as such a young player.”
After the first set was in the books, there was no looking back for the Broncos, who kept their foot on the gas pedal. The second set was identical to the opener with the black and gold dominating it from the opening serve, taking the second set 25-11.
Daleville would continue to lay it on in the third set as the Broncos hitters could not miss and the Wes-Del defense could not find any answers as the black and gold completed the sweep in the third set, 25-19.
Despite the season opener for the maroon and gray not going their way, Vernon – a first year head coach – knows it’s a process to develop a team, and the youth will grow and step into the varsity level of play as the season progresses.
“I’m really excited because we’ve got a really big seventh and eighth grade class coming in,” he said. “We’ve got all these freshmen and will only lose one senior at the end of this year. We can really build something and they’re getting experience right now that other freshmen aren’t.”
Contact David Moore with comments at david.moore@bsu.edu or on X @gingninj63
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