Robbinsville — In a span of two days, the Lady Knights were able to feel both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Coming off a lopsided sweep of the Hiwassee Dam Lady Eagles on Monday, Robbinsville (1-1) had high hopes when it stepped on the floor for its home opener Tuesday against Asheville Christian Academy.
But the Lady Lions — who returned six seniors from a 3A N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association state-finalist team — simply had all the recipes for everything the Lady Knights served up.
Back-row defense from Paris Ar — combined with strong hitting up front off the palms of seniors Elizabeth Harrington, Emma Drake and Peyton Hightower — proved to be too strong an obstacle for Robbinsville to overcome, as Asheville Christian left Graham County with a 25-21, 25-15, 25-22 sweep under their belts.
Yet despite all the struggles the Knights faced on the court, there’s an old adage that notes the only way for a team to get better is to face tough competition. Tuesday might go into the record books as a Lady Knights’ loss, but it yielded plenty of positives for Robbinsville head coach Kadey Phillips to harvest.
“I was very pleased with tonight,” Phillips said after Tuesday’s match. “We didn’t pull out the win like we wanted, but we played pretty well, considering this is just the first week of the season. We saw a lot of good things — but also some things to work on.”
Robbinsville only had seven players available for Tuesday, as two seniors are both working their way back from injury. Phillips pulled in freshman Suri Watty from the junior-varsity team to give the team some depth. Watty went on to don the libero jersey for the second and third sets of the varsity match.
Otherwise, the Lady Knights are still working out their identity. Only two starters from last year — a pair of outside hitters, senior Kensley Phillips and junior Delaney Brooms — return for Robbinsville this year. Senior Desta Trammell has been tasked with filling a major part of the offense as the starting setter, despite no varsity experience.
Meanwhile, senior Tai Rattler and junior Aubrie Wachacha — along with sophomores Claire Barlow and Liz Carpenter — are looking to make the most of their first full year on varsity. Each had their own shining moments in defeat.
And remember fans, it’s early: there’s a lot of volleyball left to be played.
“We just need to figure out where everybody’s gonna be,” coach Phillips added. “We have a lot of new players, so we have to find where will be their best set-up.”
Robbinsville jumped to a 10-3 advantage in set one against Asheville Christian Academy (6-0), before the Lions roared back to take a lead they would not relinquish.
The Lady Knights never got out of first gear in set two and seemed destined to fall decisively again in set three, before embarking on a late 8-3 run that impressively trimmed away at the deficit — and ultimately, the final outcome.
The Knights toppled Hiwassee Dam (0-1) to the tune of a 25-12, 25-5, 25-11 sweep.
Individual stat leaders for Robbinsville’s first two matches could not be confirmed by Wednesday’s press deadline.
JV, middle school
Much like their varsity counterparts, the junior-varsity Lady Knights are also off to a 1-1 start.
Robbinsville swept Hiwassee Dam in straight sets Monday: 25-12, 25-21. However, Asheville Christian provided a stiffer challenge Tuesday, leading to a 25-10, 25-8 Knights loss.
Robbinsville Middle School also started its volleyball season Monday, falling to the hybrid Hiwassee Dam/Ranger Lady Eagles 16-25, 22-25.
Up next
Robbinsville traveled to Nanatahala for a varsity-only match after Wednesday’s press deadline.
The Lady Knights welcome Asheville High on Monday and Highlands on Tuesday.