How Sophia Overholt and a piñata named Deborah sparked Polk County volleyball to its first state championship
RALEIGH -- Polk County volleyball coach Molly Hill called a timeout in the third set with her team trailing by two to Falls Lake Academy in the NCHSAA 1A state championship match Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum. Hill and the Wolverines needed only one more set victory to secure the title.
It was a critical moment in the match because winning the third set would've given new life to the Firebirds. Hill told her team to take a deep breath.
"I felt like the mistakes we were making, it was on us," coach Hill said. "It wasn't really anything Falls Lake was throwing at us. ... We were scattered and sloppy. And so I just told them to dial it back in."
That's exactly what Polk County (28-3) did. The Wolverines went on a 9-4 run to win the third set and the match. Polk County beat Falls Lake Academy (26-4) 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-22) for the first state title in program history.
Middle blocker Morgan Yoder and outside hitter Sophia Overholt have been two of the Wolverines' top players, averaging 3.3 and 2.8 kills per set. They shined again Saturday. Overholt's efforts ended with her being named the MVP of the 1A state final.
Overholt has been on quite a tear throughout the postseason. She recorded 16 or more kills in Polk County's last three matches.
"She thrives in these kinds of situations and in these, like she said, 'do-or-die games' where (if) we lose, we're done," Hill said. "And that just wasn't gonna happen for her. So she's so deserving of that MVP award that she got."
It also never hurts to have a talisman on your side. Polk County players have carried a horse pinata named Deborah with them for good luck throughout the postseason. The players said the tradition started during the 2022 postseason.
"We had a pinata last year, and we lost in the third round against East Surry," senior outside hitter Ada Kelley said. "And we passed it on to East Surry's team. And this year, they got another one. ... It's just been like our little mascot."
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Kelley said winning a state championship to finish her high school career was surreal.
"We were so close (last year), but we didn't quite get it," Kelley said. "And then this year, it's like our dreams finally came true, and we all pulled together."
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: How Polk County volleyball won first state title in program history
