Two in-county matchups highlight the week’s varsity volleyball games as Andrews hosted Hiwassee Dam, while Hiwassee Dam hosted Murphy.
Andrews continued its win streak with a win over Hiwassee Dam, while Murphy defeated Hiwassee Dam.
Lady Wildcats vs. Eagles
On Sept. 8, Hiwassee Dam played the first of two in-county matchups as the Eagles faced Andrews in The Valley.
It was a close match with both teams battling, leading to the Wildcats winning 3-0 in their first meeting of the season. The first two sets were close, then the Lady Cats pulled ahead in the third set to close out the match.
Andrews won both the first and second sets 25-21 to lead 2-0 heading into the third set. The Lady Cats won the third set 25-16 to win the match 3-0. The win was Andrews’ third in a row for their second three-game win streak this season.
Lady Eagles vs. Bulldogs
On Sept. 9, the Lady Eagles faced the Lady Bulldogs in their second meeting of the season.
In their first matchup, the Lady Dogs prevailed and won 3-2 on Aug. 18. After falling to fellow in-county rivals Andrews on Sept. 4, Murphy bounced back with a 3-0 win against Hiwassee Dam.
The Lady Dogs took an early lead, but the Lady Eagles fought back to tie the match at five apiece. Murphy maintained their lead, but the Lady Eagles were right behind them when Hiwassee Dam called a timeout late in the set.
With a 19-16 lead, Murphy pulled away late to win the first set 25-17. They stayed close in the second set, as neither team led by more than a few points, and there were multiple lead changes.
Murphy led 21-18 when they called a late timeout. After the timeout, the Lady Eagles clawed back to tie the set at 23. They then tied again at 24 and 25 before Murphy won the second set 27-25 to lead 2-0 in the match.
The Lady Dogs opened the third set by taking a large lead. The Lady Eagles fought back to get within one point, but the Dogs pulled away.
The Lady Eagles called a timeout as Murphy led 16-11. They called another timeout as the Lady Dogs led 24-15 and were on the doorstep of victory.
Out of the timeout, the Lady Dogs won the set 25-15 and won the match 3-0.
Holly Childs led the team in aces with five. Haven Phillips and Jenna Cook had four aces each. Keirstin Westmoreland and Amelia Joyner had two aces each, while Ansley Roper had one ace.
Westmoreland and Joyner led the team in kills with six each. Cook and Ellie McClure had four kills each, while Emma Hensley had two.
Westmoreland also led the team in blocks with four, while Joyner and McClure had one each.
Childs also led the team in assists with 10. Phillips had seven assists and Saddie Cornwell had two.
Cornwell led the team in digs with 15. Cook had eight digs, Joyner had six, Childs had five and both Westmoreland and Hensley had three each.
Murphy head coach Nikol Edwards said after the Lady Dogs’ win over Hiwassee Dam that their loss to Andrews on Sept. 4 was an “eye-opener.”
“Things like that happen, you gotta figure out how to bounce back,” she said. “That shows character for them to come out here and play the way they did, so I’m proud of them.
Since their loss to Andrews, Edwards said her team’s practices have been “very focused, very motivating, I will say, they realize when they step in after a loss like that, you gotta work hard so that’s what we did.”
To prepare for their game against Swain County, Edwards said they would practice hard, saying you have to “practice hard in order to play hard.”