Coach receives honor, Knights name six to list
Robbinsville – For the first time in her career, Kensley Phillips has been named the Player of the Year.
For the second time in her coaching career, Kadey Phillips has been named the Coach of the Year.
But it may be the first time in the history of Smoky Mountain Conference volleyball that a pair of siblings have won the coach and player of the year distinctions – for the same season.
You could not find two more deserving individuals of the honors. Kensley and Kadey might have to share the accolades – Kensley finished tied for votes with Murphy’s Olivia Payne, while Kadey split her award with Lady Bulldogs head coach Jordan Lovingood, since both programs finished tied for first place – but neither are bothered; they know it takes a lot of hard work to step out as the elite in the division.
“It really does boil down to, I couldn’t do it without the girls,” Kadey said. “They are the ones out there playing. But it is an honor; I’ve worked really hard to get the program where it is. It’s good to reap the benefits of that.”
“I have been working to get Player of the Year since my freshman year, but really didn’t get a chance to prove myself until my sophomore year,” Kensley remarked. “I knew I was an underclassmen and didn’t have a big shot, but played my heart out. I really succeeded on my defense, but unfortunately that usually goes unnoticed.”
For her part, Kadey has tirelessly led the program since 2017. Just 22 when she was handed the reins, one of her goals was to bring Robbinsville volleyball back to prominence. The team had always been solid, but things just were not clicking.
In 5 ½ years, she guided the Lady Knights to 100 wins – a feat achieved with a win at Swain County on Sept. 27 – and finished the year with a 105-35 record on her resume.
A four-year varsity player, Kensley is just the second conference Player of the Year for Robbinsville volleyball. Karlyn Matheson earned the first honor for her work as middle hitter in 2019.
Kensley’s senior year consisted of 455 digs, 434 receptions, 315 kills and 38 aces. She finished her career with over 1,000 digs – and each of her totals can be directly linked to her dedication to the craft.
Kensley will quickly point out that volleyball is her favorite sport, but as a multi-sport competitor – she also suits up for Lady Knights basketball and track – there is an undeniable athleticism on display each time she makes a ludicrous dive to save a sure point from hitting the floor.
And more often than not, her physics-defying efforts are successful.
“I really continued to work hard to reach my goal and I believe getting 1,000 digs this year put into perspective for the other schools coaches my progress on my defense, and how that is something I succeed in,” Kensley explained. “To me, it’s not all about who scores all the points, because they couldn’t score points without their defense.
“I am so glad I got the opportunity to get Player of the Year and it means more to me than anyone will ever know.”
“Kensley is super deserving,” coach Phillips added. “Her defensive stats were incredible, especially with her getting that many digs and not even playing a full rotation, beating out most liberos and not even starting in a defensive position. She was one of our leaders too on the front row; just a great, all-around player.”
All-Conference
In addition to her Player of the Year status, Kensley was named All-Conference, along with Delaney Brooms and Desta Trammell.
A junior outside hitter, Brooms began to emerge as a dual threat of her own. She led the conference with 368 kills, and finished second on the squad in aces (43), digs (328) and receptions (438).
“Delaney is our go-to; when we need points, we put the ball in her hands,” said coach Phillips. “She’s probably one of the hardest hitters I’ve seen in a long time; she’s definitely a powerhouse. She’s another all-around player; she serves and plays back row. She was a key to a lot of our success this year.”
The equivalent of the team’s quarterback, Trammell stepped into the crucial role of setter for her only season as a volleyball player – and adapted flawlessly in addition to her 835 assists, she recorded 246 digs and 31 aces.
“If Desta had not stepped up this year, our season could have been completely different,” coach Phillips said. “She played a vital role and I know the setter doesn’t always get the recognition they deserve, but if she hadn’t played this year, we would’ve seen a whole different outcome to this season. For her to be able to get All-Conference the first year she’s ever played is very impressive.”
Honorable mentions went to Claire Barlow, Tai Owle and Aubrie Wachacha.
A middle hitter, sophomore Barlow emerged as a lethal weapon at the net. She led the conference in blocks (51), but also accumulated 158 kills in her first varsity season.
“Claire learned to really hit the ball and became a powerhouse in the middle,” said coach Phillips. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a middle have as many blocks as she did. Blocking has always been our weakness, but she got us in the books in that aspect.”
Owle evolved into a back-row specialist for her swan song, with 47 aces – a team-best – and 110 digs.
“Tai is that athlete that will do whatever is needed,” coach Phillips bragged. “She played defense this year, which she’s never done; she’s always been a setter for us. She stepped into that role with no complaints.”
Wachacha also stepped up and showed that Robbinsville’s front-line will be in good hands next year. Another junior, Wachacha picked up 45 blocks, 145 kills and 42 aces.
“Aubrie’s blocks and hits in the middle were hard to get by,” coach Phillips noted.
Ode to seniors
Kensley Phillips, Trammell, Owle and defensive specialist Fala Welch will be leaving big gaps for coach Phillips to plug next season – both on and off-the-court.
Yes, the Knights have hitters. But a setter? More options for back-row defense? Brooms and even freshman libero Suri Watty were pleasant surprises and made great strides, but players that were otherwise out of the mix this year when the rotation reached the back line will have to slide into those roles for 2023.
“They’re definitely tough to replace,” coach Phillips said. “Kensley is a great all-around player and that’s hard to find. We’ll have to find somebody that can fill the role of an offensive and defensive player; Kensley was able to master those. Obviously a setter is going to be crucial.”
But coach Phillips is used to her teams defying odds.
Admittedly not overly optimistic about the 2022 season before it began, it took a late-summer camp for things to click.
“People in the community would ask me how the volleyball was going to be this year and my response was always, ‘Honestly, I don’t know,’” coach Phillips admitted. “We lost six seniors and I felt like we were completely starting over. I only had two returning starters and a brand-new setter.
“Another thing I was not prepared for was when the season started, I had zero subs. Literally. We had eight on the team; that’s the lowest numbers I’ve ever had and they were all into the rotation. I was really worried about that, because sickness and injury (could occur) and we could be out. But when we went to camp at UT (University of Tennessee) this summer and we won out, that was the first time it entered my mind, ‘We might could pull this off.’”
Robbinsville has now won the conference title twice in four years – the first two in program history – and picked up divisional-tournament wins in 2019 and 2021, also firsts for the Lady Knights.
A 17-9 run this season ended in a second-round playoff loss at Highland Tech on Oct. 25. However, there will be players like Barlow, Brooms, Liz Carpenter, Wachacha and Watty that will remember the sting of defeat when the next campaign launches – and redemption will be on their minds.
“They exceeded my expectations for this season,” said coach Phillips. “I would not have thought we would be bringing home another conference title and here we are. I’m super, super proud. They’ve really overcome the odds. It was tough and they pulled it off.”