Knights sharpen skills in non-conference slate
Sylva – Twice the Robbinsville Lady Knights traveled to Jackson County last week.
Twice, they returned home with victories.
Coming off a tough sweep at Asheville Christian Academy on Sept. 12, Robbinsville (10-4, 4-0) continued a lengthy stay away from home with back-to-back trips to face Blue Ridge School (3-5) on Sept. 15 and Smoky Mountain (7-7) on Monday.
The end result?
A 25-17, 25-19, 25-15 sweep of the hosting Bobcats in Cashiers and a 25-23, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20 triumph over the Lady Mustangs. It was a breath of fresh air for a team that has struggled with on-court consistency and faced some formidable competition this season.
“We’ve been playing steady,” observed Robbinsville head coach Kadey Phillips. “I’ve been telling the girls not to underestimate anybody and to keep getting better. We can’t stall here; we’ve got to keep going.”
Tuesday brought Robbinsville back home for the first time in almost two weeks, as Hiwassee Dam (1-12) paid a visit to Graham County. The Lady Eagles were no match for a motivated Knights’ program, who promptly swept the visitors 12-25, 9-25, 15-25.
Once more, things are clicking for the Knights at the right time. Robbinsville will now play host to Smoky Mountain on Monday, before heading to Swain County (7-5, 2-2) Tuesday and Cherokee (8-4, 3-1) Thursday, Sept. 29, for a pair of crucial Smoky Mountain Conference matchups. The Lady Knights are currently atop the divisional standings, with Cherokee holding firm in second place and Swain occupying third.
“I know it’s going to be tough,” coach Phillips said of the upcoming line-up. “We’ll definitely have a target on our backs, since we’re undefeated in the conference so far.
“But I’ve been telling them just how much potential they have and that if they’re not careful, things could go south quickly. So I think we’re motivated to stay put where we’re at and hopefully finish No. 1 in the conference.”
JV, middle school
Robbinsville (5-7) etched out a 26-24, 26-24 junior-varsity sweep at Smoky Mountain on Monday, before breaking out the brooms once more against Hiwassee Dam on Tuesday: 15-25, 19-25.
In the Lady Knights’ only middle-school match of the week, Robbinsville (3-3) knocked off Hiwassee Dam/Ranger 16-25, 20-25 on Tuesday.