Robbinsville volleyball marches into 2nd round of playoffs
Robbinsville – Entering the postseason with a nine-loss record, a home match looked bleak for the Lady Knights.
But the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 1A bracket seeded Robbinsville as the No. 14 team in the west, affording a visit to Graham County from a former league rival: Rosman. Consistently a solid program, the No. 19-seeded Lady Tigers brought the fight to the Lady Knights during Tuesday’s playoff opener.
Things were so even that the first three sets ended in the same point spread, but Robbinsville found its swagger midway through the third and carried the momentum to the finish line, sending the Tigers packing back to Transylvania County with a 22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 18-25 win.
“We weren’t sure if we would get a home game or not, as we went into the playoffs,” Robbinsville head coach Kadey Phillips explained. “So when we found out we did, we were excited to play at home. I always love this time of the year and the state playoffs, because we finally get a break from conference play. The teams don’t know us and we don’t know them: we just show up and play volleyball.”
The opening two segments were as even as possible, with neither side able to ascertain a lead greater than 2-3 at any moment of the sets. Robbinsville and Rosman simply had momentum favoring a respective side at the end of play.
In set three, the Lady Knights went on an 5-0 run to start, before the Tigers charged back. Undeterred, Robbinsville pieced together a 10-0 sprint to open a 10-20 nod. Not to be outdone, the competitiveness shined through again when Rosman outscored the hosts 12-2 in response. The Lady Knights were able to hold off the charge, however and displayed a continuity not seen on the court in quite some time during set four.
“After the first two sets, we were able to adjust well to their team,” Phillips said. “One thing that ate us up in set two was our serve-receive. They kept serving us deep, but once we were able to adjust that, we were able to pull it together quick.”
The victory helped fade the memory of Oct. 16’s Smoky Mountain Conference tournament semifinals, in which the Lady Knights fell 16-25, 9-25, 8-25.
Wolverines next
Robbinsville’s state-title aspirations will be tested in the second round, as the Lady Knights are paired with the defending 1A champions, Polk County. The Lady Wolverines swept Highlands (No. 30 seed, 8-16) on Tuesday: 10-25, 10-25, 10-25.
The match will be held tonight; at Wednesday’s press deadline, a start time had not been announced.
“I told the girls in the locker room that the thoughts of playing the defending state champions can be intimidating, but at this point we’ve got nothing to lose,” Phillips pointed out. “We’re just going to go down there, make the most of it, have fun and give it all we’ve got.”
1st round scoreboard
* Cherokee (No. 1 seed, 22-1) swept South Davidson (No. 32, 4-15): 6-25, 7-25, 5-25;
* Hayesville (No. 12, 16-6) downed Mountain Island Charter (No. 21, 9-16): 10-25, 21-25, 21-25;
* Swain County (No. 13, 19-6) defeated Alleghany (No. 20, 13-10) in four sets;
* Robbinsville (No. 14, 18-9) beat Rosman (No. 19, 10-8): 22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 18-25;
* Murphy (No. 11, 8-13) fell to Hiwassee Dam (No. 11, 10-12) in four sets;
* Andrews (No. 29, 5-15) lost to Uwharrie Charter Academy (No. 4, 27-3): 12-25, 23-25, 7-25.
2nd round schedule
* Cherokee vs. N.C. Leadership Academy (No. 16, 18-5);
* Hayesville at Cornerstone Charter (No. 5, 24-2);
* Robbinsville at Polk County (No. 3, 17-3);
* Swain County at Uwharrie Charter.