* Robbinsville volleyball season preview
Robbinsville – The culture around Lady Knights volleyball is changing.
Sure, a lot of names fans will recognize are back for another year on the court. Claire Barlow, Liz Carpenter and Olivia Lewis make up the senior representatives; Ryn Hooper and Suri Watty both return for their junior season.
But the dawn of another campaign brought about the constant need to refresh the rotation. It takes six to start, so head coach Kadey Phillips had to turn to the talented class of freshman that just moved up to high school.
She has not been disappointed in the decision to carry three freshmen – Chloe Adams, Daphne Barlow and Khaygen Buchanan – on the varsity roster.
“On the first day of summer workouts, I usually expect a low turnout – however, that was not the case this summer,” said Phillips, who returns for her eighth year as Robbinsville’s head coach. “I walked into a gym full and had 12 freshman come out for the team this year, in total. All of the freshman are very talented and I am very excited to see how they continue to develop throughout the course of this season.
“We went to camp this summer and Chloe and Daphne really stood out to me. I was in need of a new starting outside and middle hitter for varsity and at first, I wasn’t sure who I would use to fill these spots. I was blown away by Daphne’s defensive skills. The game just comes so naturally to her and she just fits right in with my returning starters – like she has been there all along.
“Chloe also really surprised me at camp. She is so coachable and takes in all the feedback us coaches give her like a sponge. She was getting several touches on blocks and had an impressive swing, so we thought she would fit our middle position nicely.
“Khaygen has been a great addition as well. She is such a great athlete and can play any position on the floor, which is a rarity. She can pass, hit, block and even set, so it’s nice to have her and be able to put her anywhere on the court and have the confidence that she can play any position. She also has a phenomenal work ethic. Khaygen is all the time asking to come in before practice and staying after just to keep working on her skills.
“However, I told the freshman and the other girls at tryouts: this season is not like seasons past. We have big numbers this year and I even had to cut some girls at tryouts – which I haven’t done in several years. We have several freshman and sophomores who are neck-and-neck. Those varsity positions are staying open all season long and I expect that as some of these girls continue to develop, we may continue to see even more underclassmen making some varsity appearances throughout this season.”
Phillips also touted her upperclassmen. Barlow has led the Smoky Mountain Conference in blocks over the last two seasons; Carpenter has developed into a lethal outside hitter.
“We went to camp this summer and Claire absolutely killed it,” Phillips explained. “Claire has always been a solid for us; however, she has stepped it up even more so this season and has really brought her game. Claire has perfected her skills playing as our middle hitter and has definitely become our go to for points. We want to keep the ball in her hands as much as possible, and not only just on the front row but playing in the back row as well. We have moved Claire into the middle back position on defense and she has quickly become one of our best passers as well.
“Liz was gone all summer visiting family and pursuing pilot school. It was difficult for us in the summer to visualize our team without Liz there, but the first day she was back was like she didn’t miss a beat. She was right back in it and really stepped up as a leader on our team. Her skillset both offensively and defensively is one of our teams’ greatest assets.”
In regards to defense, Lewis and Watty are a talented duo that strictly adhere to back-row assignments. Digs and receptions notwithstanding, both have also proven clutch at the service line.
Hooper has improved ten-fold in the offseason and is back for her second season as the team’s setter – giving Phillips one less thing to worry about, after having to develop setters in one-year increments over the last few seasons.
“Olivia and Suri have both come in strong and have been great leaders as well,” Phillips boasted. “As our main defenders, it is their role to run the back row defense and they do an incredible job with that.
“Ryn has come back this season and has done a great job setting for us once again. She knows each of the girls so well and has a really strong setter-hitter connection with everyone.” Our team chemistry has been great. The girls all get along so well and have taken in these new freshmen as their own. This is such a great group of girls, and I can’t wait to see what they are able to accomplish together.
Robbinsville is off to a 2-1 start this year, including a sweep of the defending 4A Mountain Conference champions T.C. Roberson in the season opener. With depth no longer lacking, this could be the year the Lady Knights climb back to the top of the highly-competitive Smoky Mountain Conference.
Especially if the team continues to build on the early-season chemistry.
“The girls all get along so well and have taken in these new freshmen as their own,” said Phillips. “This is such a great group of girls, and I can’t wait to see what they are able to accomplish together.
“I believe we have a great shot at winning a conference title this year. It will be very competitive across the board, but the girls are ready for it. We are becoming better and better the more we play and practice. I have so many underclassmen that are continuously getting better each day and I think we will give everyone a run for their money this season.
“My coaching staff and I had a very difficult time splitting teams this year into JV and varsity. So with that being said, we really wanted the girls to take the emphasis off ‘JV vs. varsity’ and to look at both teams as one big program (because that is what we are).
“We have so many skilled athletes this year, I told the girls that these teams may easily change as the season progresses. I was scrolling through Facebook one day and just happened to come across this saying, ‘Ubuntu.’ It is an African word that means, ‘I am because we are.’
“As soon as I read that, I couldn’t help but think about my volleyball team. I have always said that one of the things that I love so much about volleyball is that is a sport you cannot play alone. You cannot get the kill without the set; you cannot get the set without the pass. So it really takes everyone in order to be successful.”