Wachacha’s delivery proving masterful for Robbinsville
Robbinsville – There’s a reason Aubrie Wachacha is the first Lady Knight to step behind the service line in the rotation.
Robbinsville’s 6-foot-2 senior middle hitter has built quite the reputation for herself as a force to be reckoned with on the front line, but her defensive prowess and offensive reads pale in comparison to what she is doing to opponents when she gets a chance to begin a volley.
At press time Wednesday, Wachacha – by far and away – leads the Smoky Mountain Conference in aces, notching 68 this season. The latest Robbinsville stats from two more wins Sept. 14 at Hiwassee Dam and Monday versus Copper Basin (Tenn.) have not been tabulated, so that number will definitely grow.
Of note, she was so locked in Sept. 12 against Blue Ridge School that Wachacha unknowingly flirted with North Carolina history, tallying 19 aces in the thrashing of the Bobcats. The state benchmark is a tie, as East Surry’s Elise Hayes and Falls Lake Academy’s Chase Teal each posted 23 in respective 2016 and 2018 matches.
The emergence as a formidable serving threat has been a pleasant surprise for everyone – except Wachacha, that is.
“There has always been power behind my serves,” said Wachacha. “They haven’t always been accurate on the court, but I have worked a lot to serve them to where they are more accurate and to where I can serve them to wherever I want them to go on the court. They really have been one of my biggest ways of scoring on the court, other than my kills on the front row.”
The most up-to-date stats note that the Knights have 147 points off Wachacha’s deliveries; she also has 82 kills on her resume this year, third on the team behind fellow middle hitter Claire Barlow (94) and her classmate Delaney Brooms (147, which also leads the conference). Robbinsville is happily reaping the benefits, winning eight straight and building to an 11-2 overall record in the process.
Hiwassee Dam (3-10) fell 25-13, 25-10, 25-10 in Sept. 14’s dance; Monday, the Eagles’ neighbors put up a valiant effort in Copper Basin’s volleyball debut in Robbinsville, but the Knights showed their focus to the tune of an 18-25, 17-25, 14-25 downing by the hosts.
With Robbinsville playing its best volleyball of the season, the focus has to sustain. Just one more non-conference match (Monday, Oct. 2 at Franklin) remains on the docket; otherwise, it is all divisional contests down the stretch for the Lady Knights.
The co-defending Smoky Mountain Conference champions resume divisional play today at Swain County (10-4, 0-3); Tuesday ushers in a visit from Cherokee (10-3, 3-0), who are knotted up with Robbinsville atop the conference standings.
“I think non-conference games have helped us,” Wachacha noted. “We have gotten some gameplay in and it brought us more together as a team. We do a lot in practice, but it is a lot better to experience everything in games because it helps us see what we need to work on more.
“This team has came so far, from the beginning of the season to now. I think we have a really good chance at (another) Smoky Mountain Conference (title) this year.”
The only action for Robbinsville’s junior-varsity and middle-school programs last week took place at Hiwassee Dam on Sept. 14. The JV Lady Knights improved to 2-8 by defeating the Eagles 25-19, 22-25, 15-10; Robbinsville Middle School (5-1) knocked off Hiwassee Dam/Ranger 22-25, 25-16, 15-12.