Steps forward are steps forward and there’s no denying Oak Ridge volleyball is climbing.
In head coach Tommie Lynne Sledge’s fourth year of her second stint coaching the War Eagles, the program’s increments continue to trend toward the ultimate goal.
A couple weeks back, Sledge said she shared some stories during the team’s banquet. Stories of the War Eagles making it to the UIL state final four back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016.
Those didn’t happen overnight, either. Sledge took over for legendary coach Janet Tingle in 2010. Tingle coached the War Eagles to the state final in 1999.
It took some time, but Sledge saw continual improvements leading up to 2015, when the War Eagles raised its win total for a third straight year and just kept advancing through the playoffs until they reached Garland.
“We talked about how we’ve risen up before,” Sledge said Tuesday night after her team fell in four sets to Royse City in a Region II-6A Division II semifinal at Groesbeck High School. “You look at those records and it was just a climb and a climb and a climb. Then the success…it started tonight and it started this year.”
For the third straight season, Oak Ridge improved on its win total. From 2022 when it missed the playoffs with 24 wins, to 32 victories last year and a step up to the area round, to a 35-12 finish this fall. There was a trip (266 miles round trip to Groesbeck!) to the third round for the first time since 2018 and the regional final four for the first time since 2016.
“They got over a hump that they hadn’t done in a really long time this year,” Sledge said. “I think it’s going to do nothing but fuel us for the future. They now know what they can do.”
Oak Ridge did it this year with two important seniors in setter Bradi Rhodes and outside hitter Layla Porter.
Rhodes finished the year with 688 assists and 2,546 in her four years on varsity.
Porter, who made a big impact Tuesday against Royse City with a key injury for the War Eagles out, had 100 kills on the year.
As Sledge returned to Oak Ridge, in 2021, after opening the volleyball program at Lake Creek, these were her freshmen.
“It started with these seniors and I told them they started a legacy,” Sledge said. “They started it with a belief system of me coming back and buying into it and working.”
The War Eagles have a ton to look forward to in 2025 with the possible return of eight juniors and four sophomores who contributed to the varsity’s success.
Among the juniors are Gaby Santiago, who missed Tuesday after an injury in practice on Monday. Santiago’s skills were missed as she had a double-double of 15 kills and 16 digs the first meeting with Royse City in August.
Santiago had 16 kills in the area round against Tomball and totaled just under 400 on the season. Her partner in crime Leila Ceaser was the leader in kills against Royse City with nine and she had 303 on the season.
Santiago was the leader in digs with 511 while Ceaser had 355. Santiago also led in aces with 93. Other junior standouts included Jade Clay, who especially stood out late in the season as a middle. Riley Dube donned the libero jersey as the season progressed and Guen Blackburn and Samantha Daley were key contributors all year long.
Juniors Karli Glover (outside hitter) and Taylor Whitehead (defensive specialist) were later additions to varsity and stood out. Glover had some huge kills Tuesday night while Whitehead reached double-digit digs with 10.
As for the sophomores, that group was led by Micah Rusher, a force at the net who only improved on her district Newcomer of the Year award from a year ago. Rusher had 121 blocks, including four each in the final two rounds of the playoffs. Rusher also had 204 kills, good for third on the War Eagles.
Fellow sophomores Ally Luke played well down the stretch, as did Brookyln McQueary and Gabbie Perduk.
“The future is going to be bright,” Sledge said. “I know they’re going to get back to work when it’s time. I believe they want this and fight for it. Now they know what to expect.”
Oak Ridge began the year with a non-district sweep of Summer Creek back on Aug. 13.
The War Eagles shined in their first two August tournaments. They won their bracket at the Katy/Cy-Fair Classic by beating regional finalist Tomball Memorial and then went 9-0 at the Huntsville Tournament, including a win over eventual regional finalist Royse City.
District 13-6A play went much like last year. Oak Ridge beat the teams it needed to for 10 wins and a playoff berth, while taking its best shot at the state-ranked teams ahead of them in the standings.
The War Eagles took two sets early against College Park, which will face Royse City later this week for the regional championship, but fell against the Cavaliers in five on Sept. 3. Oak Ridge also started strong against defending state champion Grand Oaks on the road Sept. 17, but were swept by their rivals. In the final regular season match, Oak Ridge used its meeting with The Woodlands as a playoff primer and took the first set before the Highlanders battled back to win in four.
In Oak Ridge’s 10 district wins, the War Eagles dropped just one set at Conroe on Sept. 10.
“It’s super exciting,” Sledge said. “Coming back to Oak Ridge, I had this feeling of ‘Rise of the Ridge’. We did it once and again, you can talk to kids about it. But until they experience it and do it for themselves, they don’t taste it as much.”
The 2024 Oak Ridge War Eagles volleyball team stands for the national anthem prior to the Region II-6A Division II semifinal against Royse City Nov. 12, 2024 at Groesbeck High School. (Chris Zorzi/SportCast Media)
