Coach Vicki Werling leads Bearcats to 6-0 victory
by Jennifer Chavez
Contributor
PASO ROBLES — Bearcat women’s volleyball won big at the Madera Classic Volleyball Tournament earlier this month, bringing home the championship in the Gold Division. The Bearcats went 6-0, going undefeated and only losing one set at this two-day tournament that consisted of 16 teams competing.
The Bearcats are coached by first-year head coach and Program Director Vicki Werling. The team consists of seniors Mackenzie Cobb, Elie Chavez (team captain), Skylar McEntire, and Ashlee Wescom; juniors Violet Garcia, Ava Friedling (team captain), Hailey Williams, Kylah McKee, Priscilla Utter (team captain), Kylee Nancolas, Olivia Heinbach, and freshman Kiley Bowman.
“This weekend was what the Bearcats needed to mesh as a team and see their full potential, with each player contributing to this championship win,” Werling said.
The Bearcats were led by several key players during this two-day tournament: Outside hitter Cobb had over 50 serves, dropping 14 aces, and the rest were laser serves that had teams scrambling to try and keep the ball alive. Middle blocker McEntire was one of Paso Robles’ most effective point producers, with her strong blocking attacks and unstoppable kills. Along with the defensive team of setter Utter, libero/setter Heinbach, defensive specialist/libero Chavez, and defensive specialist Wescom, the Bearcats court play was unstoppable.
Asked about the tournament performance, team captain Ava Friedling saidi, “We played as a team rather than six players on a court; therefore, we were able to make good ball placement, allowing each player to get their job done. It felt amazing to finally see our hard work pay off.”
Feature Image: The Paso Robles High girls volleyball team: (Bottom from left) Violet Garcia, Kenzie Cobb, Ashlee Wesom, Hailey Williams, Elie Chavez, Priscilla Utter, Olivia Heinbach. (Back row from left) Asst. Coach Ali Bowman, Khylah McKee, Ava Freidling, Kiley Bowman, Skylar McEntire. Kylee Nancolas, Coach Vickie Werling. Photo courtesy of the Paso Robles High School Volleyball Team
