Six Robbinsville players named All-Conference
Robbinsville – After a season to remember, the Robbinsville Lady Knights were rightly spotlighted by the Smoky Mountain Conference.
Karlyn Matheson, Gabby Hooper and Liz Ayers were each named to the All-Conference team, while Yeika Jimenez, Kennedy Cable and Halee Anderson each received an Honorable Mention.
Matheson was also named the conference Player of the Year, capping off a dominant career on a high note. She led the conference this season in kills (359) and aces (89). Matheson also finished third in blocks, with 37.
“It’s surreal,” Matheson said. “Volleyball has been my favorite sport since I was little.
“More than anything, I want to thank my coaches for pushing me, my teammates for always having my back and my parents for being there to support me at every match.”
Ayers was the conference leader in assists (507) and finished second in aces (48), while Cable led the division in digs (352) and Hooper was fourth (259).
Jimenez was sixth in kills (127) and Cable finished eighth in the category (99). Hooper took ninth in assists – tallying 28 – with Anderson finishing sixth in digs (237).
Head coach Kadey Phillips was named the Co-Conference Coach of the Year, sharing the distinction with Murphy’s Nikol Edwards. Both the Lady Knights and the Lady Bulldogs finished the regular season with a share of the division title, but Robbinsville won three of the four matches between the two programs this year, including the conference tournament final and the third round of the playoffs.
Robbinsville advanced to the Elite Eight of the postseason for the first time since 1987 and with Hooper, Jimenez, Cable and Anderson all returning players for 2020, the Lady Knights are poised to make another deep run.
“It’s so cool to look back on the progress the Robbinsville volleyball program made this year,” Matheson said. “I’m so excited for the girls next year. I know they will have another amazing season.”