Polk County trekked Tuesday to Black Mountain ready to fight for every point.
The Wolverines did exactly that, knocking off fourth-seeded Owen 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 27-25 to advance to the round of 16 in the state 3A playoffs.
“We prepared and showed up,” Polk County head coach Molly Hill said. “We were ready to fight and play every point. It feels good to beat them when it matters most and accomplish milestones like this.”
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Polk County will meet another familiar foe in Thursday’s third round. The Wolverines will travel to Hendersonville, which swept Piedmont Community Charter in its second-round match on Tuesday. Match time for Thursday is at 6 p.m.
Tuesday’s victory carried some extra weight for Polk. The Wolverines had lost all four meetings with Owen since returning to the Western Highlands Conference, including both regular-season matches this fall.
Owen also entered Tuesday as the No. 4 seed in the 3A West field and as co-champion of the Western Highlands Conference regular season.
Polk, seeded 13th, never looked overmatched.
The Wolverines took the opening set 25-19 before Owen answered with a 25-21 win to even the match.
Polk regained control in the third, taking a 25-17 victory to move within a set of advancing.
The fourth proved the most dramatic of the night, with neither team willing to give much ground. Polk eventually prevailed 27-25, ending Owen’s season at 16-6 and securing a place in the third round.
Beija Olivari powered the Polk attack with 19 kills while adding 17 digs and three aces. Reeve Carroll finished with 12 kills and 16 digs, while Kenzie Alm added nine kills, 22 assists and 16 digs.
Abby Lewis had eight kills, 25 assists and 14 digs. Claire Lawrence led the defensive effort with 21 digs.
The Wolverines improved to 17-12 and reached the round of 16 for the first time since their 2024 state championship run.
