West Union Volleyball

Dennis Clayton | New Albany Gazette 2022 West Union Lady Eagles Volleyball: Front row left - Shelby Powell, Maggie Baird, Josie Conlee, Carly Henry, Mollie Reaves, Kelsey Coffey, Maxie Morris. Back row left - Rylee Farr, Kylee Anne Jumper, Alana Martin, Hope Herod, Laina Corder, Sadie Cobb, Zoey Wright. Not pictured Analyssa Phillips.

lady eagleS looK to Be more aggreSSive in 2022

West Union will begin year two under the coaching of Jamie Hayles and the Lady Eagles will be working hard as they try to land a spot in the 1A playoffs.

We went 11-12 last year and missed out on making it to playoffs,” Hayles said. “This year we’re looking to change that. We’re a bit of a blended team, consisting of a few juniors, a few sophomores, and a couple of 9th graders that will be starting.”

West Union will again compete in Division 1-1A with Ingomar and Biggersville.

Hayles will need some players to step up in the leadership roles as the lady Eagles lost three major contributors to graduation.

“As far as leaders…at the moment we’re still working on that,” She said. “We’ve got two that are making their way into that role and are developing more and more each day. Having lost three senior starters from last year, we do have some players stepping into different roles.”

The Lady Eagles will have the luxury of welcoming back one player from injury who was out for the entire 2021 season and Hayles thinks she will have an impact on the floor.

“A key player for us right now is Hope Herod, who I expect to make a huge impact on our game and style of play,” Hayles said. “She was out all last year due to a foot injury, but now she’s back and doing well, and she’s one of the most motivated players we have. She’s also a very level-headed player, which is what we need right now.”

West Union will return a handful of players that were key components of last season’s team and Hayles looks for them to continue to improve and contribute.

“Offensively, we’re bringing back two pretty solid outside hitters with Laina Corder and Zoey Wright,” she said. “They continue to impress me with their growth and overall power with their hits.

“Defensively I’m going with a younger lineup, but expecting big things from them.”

Hayles shared what she sees as keys to success for her young team in the upcoming season.

“Our X-factor and what we need to have to be more successful is to come out aggressive and vocal from the very beginning and not let other teams determine the tone and pace of the game.”