Robbinsville volleyball tips off first athletic competition in eight months
Robbinsville – Socially-distanced benches. Masks obscuring the faces of players. A limit of 25 spectators in a high school gymnasium.
Coming off a fourth-round playoff appearance and a share of the Smoky Mountain Conference title, the Robbinsville Lady Knights helped usher in the 2020-21 era of high school sports in Graham County on Monday, welcoming the Rosman Lady Tigers for a division match-up. It was the first official N.C. High School Athletic Association contest since the COVID-19 pandemic halted sports statewide March 13.
But after storming to a set-one victory, Robbinsville could not maintain the momentum in the rematch from last season’s second-round playoff affair, as the Lady Tigers rallied and swept the following three sets to take a 20-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-23 victory back to Transylvania County.
“We have only had about four practices since our tryout date and in those four practices, we were still unable to have all of our players there,” explained Robbinsville head coach Kadey Phillips.
“But despite the loss, I was very proud of the team tonight.”
The Lady Knights (0-1) seemed to have things well in-hand after taking set one. But Rosman (1-0) came back out with renewed vigor, which plotted the theme of the next two sets. Neither team could obtain a discernible advantage throughout the second segment, trading 2-point advantages until the culmination. Robbinsville was able to open a 12-8 lead in the third set, but errant serves proved to be the Knights’ undoing.
Rosman built an early 9-3 lead in the deciding set and despite a late push, Robbinsville failed to force the tiebreaking fifth set.
“They all came together and played very hard,” Phillips added. “They executed the things that we have been working on in practice and now, it’s just a matter of fine-tuning some details.
“I thought Kensley (Phillips) and Gabby (Hooper) did phenomenal on defense. Ally (Ayers) ran the floor really well and Yeika (Jimenez) executed some great plays.”
Individual stats from the match were unavailable at press time.
The middle school Lady Knights (0-1) also began their season Monday, by dropping a see-saw match to Rosman: 22-25, 19-25.