Andrews – For the first time in almost 10 years, the Andrews varsity volleyball team defeated Murphy.
The last time the Lady Wildcats defeated Murphy was Sept. 8, 2015, when Andrews won 3-1 on the road. This time Andrews was at home, both teams battled and the Lady Cats (7-2) defeated Murphy (5-3) 3-2 on Thursday night.
Lady Wildcats head coach Shanna Mustin said it felt fantastic to get the win over the Lady Bulldogs.
“It’s always great to beat Murphy, but to beat them at home, I just think that’s extra special. We knew going in that we were going to have to fight for every single point, and we did, they’ve got a great team,” she said.
The Lady Wildcats opened the match with five straight points before the Lady Bulldogs scored their first point. Andrews maintained the lead throughout the first set, which ended with an Azlyn DeHart ace.
Andrews won the first set 25-12 to lead 1-0 in the match.
Murphy scored first in the second set, but Andrews came back to take the lead. The Lady Cats led 12-4 when Murphy called its first timeout of the match.
Late in the match, Murphy came storming back to cut into Andrews’ lead. Murphy trailed 21-18 when Andrews called its first timeout.
The Lady Dogs brought the match within two points late, but Andrews closed out the second set 25-20 to lead 2-0.
The court had been tilted in favor of Andrews the first two sets of the match, but it took a major shift in favor of Murphy starting in the third set.
Murphy scored first in the third set, but Andrews quickly tied it at three. The Lady Dogs then took off and built a 10-4 lead before Andrews called a timeout.
The Lady Dogs grew their lead to 20-11 when Andrews called another timeout. Murphy went on to win the third set 25-16.
Murphy continued its momentum into the fourth set, building an early 8-3 lead. The Lady Cats attempted to close the gap, but the Lady Dogs held firm.
Andrews called another timeout as Murphy led 17-9. Murphy was inching toward winning the set, but Andrews began to close the gap late. Murphy called a timeout with a 21-18 lead.
Despite Andrews closing in, Murphy won the fourth set 25-21 to tie the match 2-2 and force a fifth and deciding set.
The fifth set started with a long, intense rally that saw Andrews score the first point. The first point and rally set the tone, as Andrews built a 7-1 lead, which prompted a Murphy timeout.
Murphy began to close the gap late in the set before Andrews called a timeout as the Lady Cats led 11-9. Juliet Holloway slammed home a kill to win the fifth set for Andrews 15-10 and the match 3-2.
Drea Cutshaw led the team with six aces. Kaiya Ellis had three aces, Chanteah Rattler had two, and Lauren Cochran, DeHart and Holloway had one each.
Holloway led the team with 23 kills. Mattie Mustin had four kills, while Cochran and Beasley had two kills.
Ellis had 16 assists and Cutshaw had 14. DeHart also had two assists.
Holloway also led the team in digs with 20. Ellis and Rattler had 12 digs and Cutshaw and Lauren White had nine digs each. Mustin also had one block.
Leading the team in aces for the Lady Bulldogs was Amelia Joyner with five. Holly Childs had four aces, Emma Hensley had three and Keirstin Westmoreland had two.
Joyner also led the team in kills with 12. Childs and Haven Phillips had six kills each. Ellie McClure also had four kills.
Childs led the team in assists with 15. Phillips had seven assists. Saddie Cornwell led the team in digs with 19. Hensley also had 18 digs. Joyner had nine digs, Jenna Cook had eight and Childs had six. Phillips had four digs and Westmoreland had two.
Mustin’s message to her team heading into the fifth set was to maintain momentum.
“We always talk a lot about momentum because in volleyball it swings so fast. And so for me, we try to keep these little mini-games, like we’re the first one to five, and then we’re the first one to 10, and that kind of keeps it in perspective for them,” she said.
Heading into a week of conference games, Mustin added, “This is like the confidence that we needed. We’ve been talking all year long like this is the team, and this is the year, that we could really shake up the conference, and I knew tonight would be pivotal. And so I think going forward, the confidence from this win will carry over in the next one.”
After the match, Lady Bulldogs head coach Nikol Edwards said it showed her team’s character when they won the third and fourth sets after losing the first two.
“It’s hard to come here and play. Andrews is always out to get us …but we weren’t ready,” she said.
Heading into their next games, Edward said they will get back in the gym and work hard to prepare for upcoming matches.
While Murphy only had a one-game week, Andrews hit the road Sept. 2 to Cashiers to play Blue Ridge Early College (1-8).
The Lady Wildcats dominated the first set to win 25-6 to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Blue Ridge Early College mad their closest set in the second set, and the Lady Wildcats cruised to win 25-11 to lead 2-0 heading into the third set.
In the third set, the Lady Cats kept cruising to win 25-8 to close out the match and win the game 3-0.
Since the Lady Cats’ first matchup in the 2012 season, Andrews has a 7-2 record against Blue Ridge Early College. The Lady Cats fell to the Bobcats twice in the 2022 season.
Up next
Both teams will be back in action this Thursday. Murphy will host Swain County, and Andrews will travel to Hayesville. Both games start at 6 p.m.
Andrews will travel to Union County, Ga., at 5 p.m. Monday.
On Sept. 16, Andrews will host Cherokee at 5 p.m., while Murphy will host Hayesville at 6 p.m.