Last night, Oct. 15, West hosted the second round of the 2018 Western Mountain Athletic Conference (WMAC) Volleyball Tournament after securing first place in conference by way of a Reynolds loss to Roberson. The Falcons (26-2) came in with a first round bye, hosting Erwin (4-19) and Asheville (3-16).

Erwin advanced to the next round after defeating Asheville, 3-1. West promptly responded, defeating the Warriors 3-0 and eliminating them from the tournament.

Senior Ashley Downer believes the Falcons’ first match of the tournament was a good foundation to build on, but there are some little aspects of the game that need to be ironed out.

“We played great and kept a good pace the entire game, but we really need to stay focused on the little things, like closing blocks and our communication,” Downer said. “That being said, if we fix those little things and play like we know how, we’ll end up where we want to be, which is conference tournament champions.”

According to Downer, the key to winning the championship is to adapt to each team, and staying focused to improve.

“We’ve worked extremely hard this season with the goal of being conference champs, and now all we have left is the tournament,” Downer said. “We know each team’s strengths and weaknesses so now we just have to capitalize.”

West will play Roberson (17-7) tonight, Oct. 16, with high hopes for advancing to semi-finals.

By: Cole Braswell, Sports Editor