Murphy-Once she found out the Lady Bulldogs were facing South Stanly in the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 1A playoffs, head coach Jordan Lovingood knew defense would be key. The Rowdy Rebel Bulls had a strong block and were scrappy defensively, and Lovingood knew her team needed to be locked in.
That’s exactly how Murphy played, taking care of South Stanly in a dominant three set win, 25-14, 25-13, 25-13.
“We knew they had a huge block and the key to our success was swinging,” Lovingood said. “I’ve said that all season and we had that covered tonight. Just watching film, we put the ball where they weren’t.”
No. 15 seed South Stanly (15-9 overall) had pushed both Union Academy and Gray Stone Day, the top two teams in the 1A RPI rankings, in Yadkin Valley conference play, and looked like they could do the same to No. 2 seed Murphy (21-2) in the early going. The Rowdy Rebel Bulls set up the block well, but the Lady Bulldogs adjusted with several tip kills over the front line.
“We liked seeing that they put a triple block against Torin (Rogers) initially,” senior libero Cailey Dockery said That means that they were watching film on us and knew that she had to be stopped. She was really smart and put the tips where they needed to be. That made them have to take away the triple block on us.”
South Stanly hung around and trailed 15-12 in the first set, but back-to-back aces by Rogers were the catalyst for a 10-2 run that closed out the set. Murphy jumped all over the Rowdy Rebel Bulls in set two, leading 17-4 before cruising to a 25-13 set win and a 2-0 lead in the match. The Lady Bulldogs hitting took off in the second set, with well placed shots and balls South Stanly couldn’t handle.
The Rowdy Rebel Bulls tried to mount a rally in the third set, but eventually Murphy was just too strong. A 6-0 lead pushed the Lady Bulldogs lead to 18-9, and Lovingood was able to get some reserve some playoff experience on the final few points.
Murphy will welcome former Smoky Mountain Conference foe and No. 7 seed Rosman (17-3) back to Cherokee County on Thursday for the first round. This year, the Lady Tigers were in the Western Highlands conference, where they were conference champs. It’ll be Rosman’s third straight game facing a former conference opponent, as the Lady Tigers swept No. 26 seed Hayesville (25-14, 25-12, 25-19) and No. 10 seed Highlands (25-22, 25-9, 25-23) in the first two rounds.
“We know they’re big hitters,” Lovingood said. “And our defense will be key.”