CASTLEWOOD (Sept. 14, 2026) – Playing in front of their home crowd on Buddy Poole Court Monday, Castlewood volleyball continued to prove themselves. After a loss to Honaker last week, the Blue Devils exacted revenge with a convincing 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-21) sweep.
Castlewood was coming off a strong showing on Saturday at a tournament in Holston, where they captured third place. Did it give the Blue Devils some confidence?
“I feel like it definitely did,” commented hitter Layla Ervin. “We played some pretty good teams, and it helped us build some character, learn what we needed to work on, and, going forward, what we learned from the tournament will push us to be better. We’re making a lot of progress.”
Cheyenne Elam had a push to win it for the Lady Devils.
“We’ve learned to communicate with each other more, kind of work around each other’s flaws and try to pick up the ball anytime we can,” Ervin noted.
Castlewood raced out to a 10-2 advantage in the second set and rolled to the win. Honaker tried to get their footing in the third set but couldn’t contain Ervin on the frontline.
Ervin led the Blue Devils with 10 kills and four aces. Elam added five slams. Leanna Franklin was a factor with 23 assists and three aces.
“Leanna’s a freshman,” said Castlewood coach Derek Allen. “She gets to the ball and doesn’t call for help very often. It’s got to be out the back for her to call for help. She’s a go-getter.
“Layla has taken over the big swing club here. She’s fun to watch and a good kid.”
The Blue Devils dominated the net with 26 kills to the Tigers’ 13.
“The girls came out to play tonight,” Allen noted. “They communicated more and covered the floor much better because of that communication. I think that’s the only key we need: to communicate. We’ve got the girls up front and in the back. We just have to figure out where we’re going.”
Honaker’s only win (1-7) came when they hosted the Devils.
“When they want to play, the girls can play, but that’s just it,” Honaker coach Lindsey Marshall said. “They’ve got to get headstrong and show up ready to play every night.”
The Tigers didn’t get any momentum in the match at Castlewood.
“We’ve got to find a rhythm, and that’s what I told the girls,” remarked Marshall. “We got to find a rhythm and stay in it. We’ve got to get control of these games and keep it. Even if we lose control a little bit, we’ve got to be together enough to say, hey, we can get it together and get
back in this. We just can’t quit. We beat Castlewood at home. It’s just a different night, I guess.”
The young Blue Devils appear to be jelling.
“I believe the more we play, the better the girls will get,” commented Allen. “These girls just need to play together and have fun.”
