Roanoke, Va. – Winning is no foreign concept for Hidden Valley volleyball coach Carla Ponn. She is nearing her 500th win with the Titans.
“All I want to do is win for my kids, that’s all that matters. The kids buy into what I’m selling, they do. I’m not always the best salesperson, but I have a lot of passion, a lot of heart, and I think that shows,” Ponn says.
But the secret to success really is no secret if you watch practice. There is not shortage of smiles, laughter, and encouragement.
“She wants us to have fun. so us hustling and working hard is fun for us, that’s what we enjoy doing,” Titans outside hitter Cameron Davenport says.
“If no one was having fun then we wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t play good, since we’re all having fun, our energy is up, and it makes everything better,” Titans setter Faith Mitchell explains.
With are Region 3D championship matchup with Abingdon in less than 24 hours, Ponn is doing her best to keep her players locked in while also loosened up.
“I feel like going into a stressful situation already, which is a championship for the region, it needs to be focused but it also needs to be fun, and they need to remember why they’re there. I think a little fun along with a lot of discipline and structure is important,” Ponn says.
The Falcons are one of the toughest teams the Titans will face to date, but Cameron Davenport says their togetherness, mixed with the power in the front court, could be the way to punch their tickets to states.
“When I’m front row and I like to pound balls away, I think that’s when we’re the strongest, Davenport says. Our will to win, basically, I think we all want it, that’s what’s going to make us go over the other team,” Davenport says.
The Titans were the Region runner-ups in the fall of 2019, falling to eventual three-time state champion Lord Botetourt.