Hiwassee Dam – Last year was a tough year for the Lady Eagles, who didn’t win a single game.
Thankfully, this year has already been different. The Lady Eagles have won their first two matches, knocking off both Copper Basin, Tenn. (25-22, 25-17, 25-21) and Fannin County, Ga. (25-15, 25-17, 25-15 in straight sets to open the 2021 season.
“It feels really good,” senior Sydney Payne said. “We’re all working together and finally getting the rhythm of everybody else. We’re finally getting the movement down and working together.”
Head coach Sam Walker, who’s in his third season, runs a different style, which instead of running traditional rotations you see in volleyball relies on specific plays that put players in certain roles. Sometimes players who usually play the front have to play in the back rotations, which means a switch from a more offensive and defensive role. He also likes to make sure the setter gets the second pass, which is the key to being able to set up a good ball for the hitter on the third and final touch.
“It’s taken about three years to get used to,” Payne said. “But now we’re finally getting used to it, and it’s working.”
Hiwassee Dam is an upperclassmen-heavy team, with many of the players having grown up playing multiple sports together. That showed in their communication on the court against Fannin County, as they had less instances of multiple players going for the ball, instead trusting a teammate to make a play.
The Lady Eagles jumped out to big leads in both the first and third set against the Lady Rebels, only facing real danger in the second set. After scoring the first two points of the set, Reagan York reeled off six straight aces for Fannin County, putting Hiwassee Dam in a 7-2 hole.
But the Lady Eagles didn’t waver, taking advantage of Lady Rebel and two services aces from Olivia McNabb to take an 18-13 lead in the set. After Fannin County scored three straight, Hiwassee Dam closed out the set on a 7-2 run, which included kills from both Sydney and her twin sister, Rylie.
Both Payne sisters look to be the main options for setter Payton Palmer gets the Lady Eagles into their offense. “They’re finally getting the concept of down on what we’re trying to do on the offensive side of it,” Walker said.
As the season goes on Walker would like to see his team get better on defense. That means having a better idea of what the other teams wants to do on offense, which means getting better at setting up blocking and having players in the right place to turn opponents attacks into potential scoring opportunities
Hiwassee Dam will face better competition this season, starting with four straight games against Big Smoky Mountain Conference competition. The Lady Eagles swept Swain County last Thursday and played Hayesville and Andrews on Monday and Tuesday, which ended after this week’s edition of the Cherokee Scout went to press. They face Murphy on Thursday.
It’s a challenging road ahead, but Walker likes what he’s seen so far.
“If we continue to go on this same path, we don’t have anywhere to go but up,” he said.