Lady Knights strong in season debut
Robbinsville – If the Lady Knights play the entire season like they did Monday, opponents are going to have a hard time finding a way to attain victory.
Outside of a few obvious moments where Robbinsville showed it was, in fact, the first match of the year, the Lady Knights showed team continuity and skills not seen when the program began last season.
T.C. Roberson was caught off-guard from the word go and it showed in the final tally: a 17-25, 17-25, 22-25 sweep for Robbinsville.
The defending 3A/4A Mountain Conference champions were in a hole before they even arrived. Star outside hitter Karlie Henning – a senior that led the Lady Rams in kills last season – suffered an injury just a few days before the opener, so T.C. Roberson was forced to take the court without her.
Each set was competitive, with very few points of solid momentum for either side until late in each segment. Robbinsville commandeered service control with a 17-19 advantage in set one and combined with a thunderous block down the stretch by senior Claire Barlow, libero classmate Olivia Lewis delivered six volleys that the Rams were unable to overcome.
The visitors started clicking in set two, with sophomore Valor Jansen throwing up her hands for several stiff stops of her own at the net, but she was no match for Barlow’s quick defensive reads on kills. The middle hitter consistently pounded the back-left corner of T.C. Roberson’s formation, which oddly failed to adjust as needed to thwart her efforts. Though the Rams drew the deficit to 17-18, the Knights ran out the stanza after a service error – something freshman Daphne Barlow had no trouble with.
Threatening to push the match into a fourth set, a perceived 22-22 tie was overruled by officials who said Jansen made illegal contact with the net while tipping the ball for a Rams point. The controversial call drew the ire of T.C. Roberson fans and players alike in the gym, and even brought an assistant coach off the bench to complain – which resulted in an automatic red card.
Once the commotion died down, Rams head coach Michelle Wagaman tried to call a timeout – but it was not granted. Instead, T.C. Roberson was forced to play the point mid-scramble; Robbinsville won the volley and the ending was a foregone conclusion.
The Knights’ fluidity was aided immensely by the hustle of senior outside hitter Liz Carpenter, junior setter Ryn Hooper and junior defensive specialist Suri Watty. The trio played their back-row rotations to almost-perfection, with well-timed digs and passes that kept numerous plays alive.
Robbinsville hosted another powerhouse after Wednesday’s press deadline, as Franklin (1-0) made the trip to Graham County. The Lady Panthers swept Swain County in Monday’s opener and are also defending a conference title, going 11-1 last season to win the 3A Mountain Seven division.
A scheduled match tonight at Nantahala has been moved to Monday, Sept. 16; the Lady Knights will next host Highlands at 6 p.m., Tuesday.
The JV opener Monday saw Robbinsville fall 25-22, 25-11 to T.C. Roberson.