Battesburg-Leesville volleyball team works its way through difficult schedule
Panthers football team starts 3-3
Batesburg-Leesville – The Batesburg-Leesville High School volleyball team started its season with a 14-18-1 record. Panthers head coach Eric Shick knows that’s not a thing of beauty, but he’s not too worried about it.
“I do my best to put our team against teams that are better than us to get us ready for region play and the playoffs,” Shick said. “Most of the teams we played this season have been AAAA and AAAAA schools.”
Batesburg-Leesville is 3-3 in Region 2-AA as it just turned the corner for the second go-round in the region. However, despite the difficult schedule, Shick thinks the Panthers can play much better.
“So far I feel that we have not performed our best when we need it,” he said. “After playing against some of the best teams in the state (going three sets with T.L. Hanna and Legion Collegiate), I expected us to be able to play better when it came to region play.
“I feel the reason is that we are very young. We have two sophomores and three eighth-graders as starters this year. With this youth it can be a roller coaster ride.”
Nine players on the roster see significant time. The two sophomore starters are outside hitter Ella Cook and outside hitter Kate Shealy, while the three eighth-graders are setter Molly Price, libero Carley Soper and defensive specialist Genivieve Potts.
Shealy leads in kills with 232 while Cook has 157. Shealy also has 31 service aces, 13 blocked shots, 255 digs and 382 serves received. Cook has 12 blocks and 53 digs.
Price leads the team in assists with 509 to go with 54 kills, 27 aces, 23 blocks and 160 digs. Soper has a team high 313 digs and 443 serves received with just 28 errors to go with 39 aces. Potts has 20 aces an, 135 digs.
Seniors Jessie Eidson, Kadejah Blocker, Mckenzie Dozier and Kaylee Rodgers are the other members of the rotation. Rightside hitter Eidson has 45 digs, 15 blocks and 42 kills, middle hitter Blocker has 53 digs, 30 blocks, 33 aces and 89 kills, defensive specialist Dozier has 117 digs and 16 aces, and middle hitter Rodgers has a team high 42 blocks to go with 34 digs and 67 kills.
Other members of the team are junior Suraya Jones and junior Alyssa Eargle.
Shick is looking for a strong finish.
“To make a strong playoff run we need to win the rest of our region matches - at least two of the last three,” Shick said. “We would like to come out at least second in the region but it will be tough to do. The other teams aren't giving it to us. We have to learn to take it.”
PANTHERS FOOTBALL STARTS 3-3
After an undefeated regular season and finishing 12-1 a year ago, the B-L football team was just 3-3 through its first six game. Also, the Panthers dropped their region opener, falling to Strom Thurmond 28-26 in overtime on October 3.
Batesburg-Leesville still has the ability to defend its region title but it has to win out and get a little help starting with its road game against Ninety Six on October 10. It then plays host to American Leadership Academy, visits Pelion and plays host to Saluda.
Wide receiver KD Whitt has been selected to play in the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl all-star game.
