Front-row attack helps Lady Knights prevail
Bryson City – When adversity displayed on the line, Robbinsville answered the call.
For only the second time this season, the Lady Knights (5-1, 4-1) were pushed to four sets in a crucial Smoky Mountain Conference showdown Friday night. The Lady Devils (2-4, 2-3) had prevailed 23-25 in set one and though Robbinsville thundered back to a 2-1 match advantage, Swain raced to a 9-19 lead in set four. The match seemed destined for a tie-breaking fifth set.
But the very definition of a “team effort” soon presented itself, with the Knights rallying to the tune of a 16-4 run, stunning the Devils 23-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-23.
“It was insane. I’m so proud of them,” Robbinsville head coach Kadey Phillips said after the wild comeback. “We got off to a bad start – down 5-0 – and I had to use a timeout. I don’t like using timeouts that early in the set, but I knew we needed to refocus and reset.
“We were still down later, and I had to use my last timeout. We had dug ourselves in a hole, and I told the girls they needed to focus and chip away, one point at a time. That’s exactly what they did.”
Swain led 8-0 in the fourth set before Robbinsville even got on the scoreboard. Later faced with the 10-point deficit, the Knights used the serves of Gabby Hooper and Delaney Brooms, spot-on digs by Yeika Jimenez and Ally Ayers and Brooms’ hits to sprint back and tie the segment 21-21.
The Lady Devils certainly showed their own brand of tenacity, with senior Jenna Marr proving to be a force up front and Jessie Lineman’s serves helping Swain make sustained runs during the match. But Robbinsville’s efforts had been well-distributed way before the fourth set.
Digs from Hooper and Halee Anderson proved crucial. Ayers set up the Knights’ attacks with precision. Kensley Phillips and Ivy Odom both fired off tough serves throughout the dance and up front (including 6- and 9-point runs with Phillips at the line in the first and second sets, respectively), and the duo joined Jimenez and Aubrie Wachacha to comprise a quarter of Lady Knights who displayed strong reads of the floor on the other side of the net.
Simply put, they hit the ball where the Maroon Devils were not.
“They showed a lot of grit and refused to give up,” Coach Phillips added. “It definitely paid off.”
The match came just 24 hours after Robbinsville swept Andrews at home: 7-25, 20-25, 11-25.
The Knights built a 14-1 lead over the Wildcats (2-4, 1-4) in the first set, thanks to Odom and Brooms mailing some shots over the net that gave Andrews fits.
Robbinsville stayed three points ahead of the Lady Cats in set two, but Andrews’ spirited effort was matched and surpassed by Jimenez and Kensley Phillips, combining efforts at the front to strike down the Wildcats’ hopes. Robbinsville then opened a 9-0 lead in set three and never let up.
The shift now moves to the first pairing of the 2019 co-conference champions, as Murphy (5-0, 4-0) visited Graham County after press time Wednesday. Riding the high of the thrilling rally at Swain, Robbinsville looks primed for the showdown.
JV, middle school
The lone junior varsity match of the week took place Friday. The Lady Knights improved to 2-2 by downing the Lady Devils 20-25, 25-18, 15-10.
In middle school action, Robbinsville (2-4) split the bill, defeating Andrews 20-25, 14-25, but dropping its match at Swain 25-19, 23-25, 11-15.