Hiwassee Dam – Lady Eagles volleyball head coach Sam Walker knew it would be challenging for his team to come off a two week break due to COVID-19, but got an idea of how challenging on Sept. 16 against Hayesville. His team looked rusty and out of sync in a straight-set loss to the Lady Jackets.
“(Thursday) really showed the difference between (being) able to continuously practice and not,” he said. “We were making mistakes that when we stopped being able to practice, we’re making mistakes that we just didn’t have.”
Like the rest of Hiwassee Dam High School, the volleyball team went on a two-week pause after a COVID-19 cluster among teachers meant there weren’t enough faculty members to effectively cover classes. The pause ended on Sept. 13, when the Lady Eagles were able to return to practice.
Walker said he tried to make sure each of his players had a volleyball and were able to run through some drills to stay fresh. Unfortunately, volleyball is a sport where it’s hard to do things by yourself.
“To get an actual pass makes it difficult unless you have a little bit larger facility,” he said. “Volleyball is a little different that way. It usually takes two unless you have a solid wall somehow.”
When the team returned to practice, the first step was trying to get the team back and moving again. Not just in better shape, but being able to anticipate where the ball is going and get there quickly enough to control it. Against Hayesville, Walker said his team was a step slow and is still working to get its timing back.
The Lady Eagles played in the Fannin County (Ga.) Tournament over the weekend, where they lost to Pickens (Ga.) 2-1 and Calhoun (Ga.) 2-0. They’ll look to right the ship this week with games against Andrews and Robbinsville, though there could be choppy waters for a little while.
“This coming week we won’t have a lot of practice,” Walker said. “So we’re going to have to correct a lot of things while we play.”