Bump! Set! Spike! The Watauga Women's Volleyball Team Rockets Through the 2026 Season

The Watauga Women’s Varsity Volleyball team on the home court. Photo Creds: submitted by Gracyn Phelps

Vivian Kaufman, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

Shoes squeaking on the court, an enthusiastic crowd chanting, a Watauga Women’s Volleyball game full of passionate players, coaches, and audience members. The team's connection is part of what propels them to success. Whether they win or not, they grow, bond, and learn through each set. Within the 2026 season they held a 25 - 4 record: a testament to their hard work.

“We're really tight and nobody's out of the picture. We all want to make each other better, and we're all proud of each other,” said junior Gracyn Phelps. “I think that we all love each other so much, it just makes it so easy when we go out and play. We can all just connect.”

Volleyball is more than just a sport for the players. It's a family-like bonding experience. Between practices, workouts, camps, and more, the team members spend lots of time together and have built their own community.

 “Volleyball has built a really good culture. It's like a big family,” said Lainey Gragg, senior. “We play together, we practice together, we do things outside of volleyball together. It's  an amazing thing to be a part of.” 

Being a player on the team takes true dedication. They practice for hours every week and practice outside of the season, all these efforts have led to their achievements.

“I know they work hard in practice. They set up their practices to be really efficient. They'll come in and work out in the mornings before school sometimes.” said Dustin Kerley, the Watauga High School Athletics Director. “As far as the off season goes, I don't know exactly what those details look like, but I know they work hard and they're doing stuff year round.”

Being on the team comes with responsibilities, whether that’s putting your all into practices and sets, or supporting your teammates and looking out for one another. 

“I feel there's a lot of leadership on the team. Sometimes it's hard to keep each other accountable, but for this team, it's easy to call each other out if we're doing something wrong,” said Gragg. “Or if we're having a bad day, we know it's going to be okay, and we have other people that can step in that role to fill it and do a good job. We're just really close, and we can tell each other anything.”

For years now, the team has been flourishing, so losing is unusual for them, but according to some, it can be informative and motivating for the players.

“I think that [losing] is actually a good thing. Most people will probably think it is a bad thing, but I would not think that at all,” said Kerley. “[Last season] they didn't drop very many sets, maybe one, if any. You don't learn how to handle adversity as much as you do when you're going through a struggle sometimes.”

While the team did not make it to the State Championship finals in the 2026 season, they've learned from all their games, losses and victories alike so they can go into next season more prepared than ever. 

“I made Varsity my freshman year, and it was a tough year for us, but it led us to this year, which we have been extremely successful,” said Phelps. “Volleyball is a game of mistakes, and you can get in your head easily, but it's hard to get mad or get down on yourself when you're playing the game you love with your best friends.” 

The team’s victories and defeats have brought the members closer together and led them to be the encouraging champions they are. The variety within the game is what shapes the sport and builds the community that is characteristic of Watauga Volleyball. 

“I think what has been good this season is the fact that we've actually lost a couple matches,” said Kerley. “I think that has taught our team how to respond to adversity. It's taught them how to handle success and failure and know that if they get into a situation where they're down where they're struggling they've been through it before they know how to respond to it, and they know that they can overcome it.”

While the losses might not be everyone’s favorite part of the season, the team is able to build, improve, and learn with each loss. It motivates the team to continue their hard work throughout their games and come to each new set fully motivated. 

“The game on Tuesday was a long, hard-fought game. Even though we couldn't pull out the win, we've had a very successful season,” said Mia Mitchell, sophomore. “That phrase not only describes our record, but also the community that rallied behind us the whole time, whether it was a pre-season game, a conference game, or a Final Four game. We created many friendships and memories that will last a lifetime. This loss will give us the motivation we need for next year.”