Robbinsville -- The Lady Knights put everything together at the right time.
Wednesday's Smoky Mountain Conference tournament finale pitted Robbinsville (No. 2 seed, 19-3) against Murphy (No. 1 seed, 19-2), in a pairing that had seen the Lady Bulldogs clinch victories twice during the regular season, en route to their second-straight divisional crown.
But a certain sense of confidence lingered inside the Robbinsville High School gymnasium at the outset of Wednesday's tangle, even after Murphy took set one, 25-21. Undeterred, the Knights marched out of the locker room and promptly handed the Lady Bulldogs a loss, to the tune of 23-25, 18-25, 23-25.
The victory marks the first time Robbinsville has defeated the Lady Bulldogs since the 2019 season, when the Knights won the conference tournament ... at Murphy.
"We knew we had lost the first two times (we played Murphy) and we were hyped, because we knew they were going to bring their best game," said junior outside hitter Kensley Phillips. "We didn't think Yeika (Jimenez) or Delaney (Brooms) were going to be able to play, so when we found out they were going to get to play within the last hour (before the match began), we knew that if we played our best game, we had it in the bag."
Returning from a brief illness, outside hitter Delaney Brooms was difficult to defend all night, poking holes across Murphy's blocking and back-row defense with several resounding kills. Phillips and libero Halee Anderson made a formidable duo on the back row for Robbinsville, with several crucial digs sparing potential points for the Bulldogs. Phillips and Jimenez -- who tweaked her knee during Tuesday's semifinal match against Cherokee -- also gave Murphy fits with their respective defensive reads, while Zoie Shuler's work in the middle during the fourth set helped repel the Lady Bulldogs' offense, lending a huge hand to a run that pulled Robbinsville from a 12-7 deficit to a 18-16 lead.
The Knights also benefitted greatly from Ivy Odom and Aubrie Wachacha's hitting, with setter Ally Ayers making sure the ball was right where it needed to be throughout the contest.
"Our coach (Kadey Phillips) has been telling us that we need to come together during close games. We were chasing that tonight," Ayers explained. "We've got to keep playing like we did tonight; keep (up) the intensity and energy."
Robbinsville was given the No. 12 seed in the 1A playoff bracket and will host South Stokes (No. 21) in the first round at 5 p.m. Saturday.