Knights still in playoff hunt
Nantahala – In pre-COVID times, a 2-loss volleyball team from the Smoky Mountain Conference was all but guaranteed a spot in the 1A state playoffs.
However, as the virus has altered the way high school athletics are being conducted this year, that guarantee has been kissed goodbye. Instead, the conference will only get two automatic bids into the postseason.
Enter Robbinsville’s dilemma. Following a 25-2, 25-12, 25-4 road sweep at Nantahala on Dec. 17, the Lady Knights (7-2, 5-2) hold third place in the division, seated behind undefeated Murphy (9-0, 8-0) and Rosman (7-0, 6-0). Those two schools account for the Knights’ only two losses of the season.
Still, all hope is not lost. Any coach will tell you it’s tough to beat a team twice in a season, thanks to a combination of the expected improvements that a team goes through from start to finish, plus the familiarity of seeing a team firsthand.
As a result, Robbinsville head coach Kadey Phillips has all the reason in the world to be optimistic about a playoff bid.
“We have improved drastically over the course of this season, and I am very confident that we can finish the season strong,” Phillips boldly predicted.
The final stretch of the season will not be easy. Robbinsville will head to Rosman for a rare 2 p.m. makeup match Tuesday, before hosting Cherokee on New Year’s Day at 3 p.m. A planned match with Swain was rescheduled until Wednesday, due to a positive COVID-19 test at the Bryson City school.
Andrews and Murphy round out the schedule in respective road matches Monday, Jan. 4, and Thursday, Jan. 7.
Robbinsville has yet to be pushed to five sets this season and have only played a fourth set three times.
The opposition that forced the hand? Rosman, Swain and Murphy, all of whom the Knights will see again before the campaign wraps up.
“Our goal still remains the same: to win another conference championship,” Phillips said. “We were only two games away last year from a state title, and I am anxious to see how far we will be able to make it into the state playoffs for this season.”