Murphy – It was a busy week for two Cherokee County varsity volleyball teams, as Hiwassee Dam had a three-game week and Murphy played twice.
The two teams kicked off their week facing each other in Murphy in the first in-county matchup of the 2025 fall sports season. Fans packed the gym on Aug. 18 as the two local teams faced off on the volleyball court for the first of two times this season.
The last time these two teams met on the court was in the first round of the playoffs last season when Hiwassee Dam won 3-1 to advance, sending the Lady Bulldogs home. It was a different ball game this time around, as both teams graduated key seniors in the Class of 2025.
As the game got underway, the Lady Eagles (0-5) scored the first point. Then it was back and forth volleyball throughout the first set with neither team leading by more than a few points and multiple lead changes.
The Lady Eagles then took a 16-13 lead, prompting the first timeout of the match. They maintained that lead and closed out the first set 25-19 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set was just as close as the first. The Lady Eagles took another early lead and kept the Lady Dogs (4-1) at a distance.
At the first timeout of the set, the Lady Eagles led 19-17. Coming out of the timeout, the Lady Dogs went on a run to tie it at 19 each. They used their momentum to take a late lead and win the second set 25-21 to tie the match 1-1.
Despite the Lady Eagles leading almost all of the second set, the Lady Bulldogs battled back and were able to tie the game at one set apiece. The first two sets were close, but not as close as the remainder of the game.
Murphy took an early lead to start the third set, but Hiwassee Dam battled back to tie it at six each. They tied again at eight, then thanks to a series of Bulldog aces Murphy pulled away to lead 14-8.
The Lady Eagled fought back to close the gap, but the Lady Dogs pulled away again. Murphy got out to an 18-12 lead and Hiwassee Dam called a timeout.
After the timeout, the Lady Eagles went on a run to make it a one-point game, prompting another timeout as Murphy led 21-20. After the second timeout, the Lady Eagles tied it at 23 each.
The Lady Eagles then got a one-point lead and were one point away from winning the game, but the Lady Dogs tied it at 24 to extend the set.
Both teams battled deep into the set and the Lady Dogs won the third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match and were one set-win away from winning the match.
Murphy took an early lead in the fourth set as they led 16-8 when the first timeout was called. They kept the lead late, but the Lady Eagles were fighting back.
The Lady Dogs led 23-20, but the Lady Eagles fought back to tie the match at 24. Both teams went back and forth, with multiple lead changes, before the Lady Eagles won the set 30-28 to force a fifth set.
Murphy took an early 6-2 lead, but the Lady Eagles battled to cut the lead to 10-8. The Lady Dogs maintained their lead and won the fifth set 15-12 to take the match 3-2.
Both teams battled to the end in the back-and-forth matchup that got the Lady Dogs their third straight win to start the season.
After their win over Hiwassee Dam, Murphy’s head volleyball coach Nikol Edwards said, “I feel like today was a little struggle. It seems like we couldn’t just put everything together. Sometimes you have a long weekend and you play on a Monday. That’s hard, that’s not an excuse. So we have to work through that.”
Edwards said her team had both positive and negative moments in the match.
“They all had their moments where they stepped up, but they also all had their moments where they hesitated,” she said. “Again, something we have to work on as a team and continue to grow and get better.”
Edwards also said that any win is important no matter who they play.
“We take it one game at a time. Just like I told them in the locker room, ‘I don’t care who is on the other side of the floor. You have to play your game, you have to play Murphy ball,’ ” she said.
Murphy
The next day, the Lady Dogs headed north to face Robbinsville (4-1). In four close sets, the Lady Dogs fell to the Black Knights.
Robbinsville took an early lead and won the first set 25-23. The Lady Dogs bounced back and won the second set 25-22 to tie the match at 1-1.
The Lady Black Knights made it 2-1 by winning the third set 25-22. They kept it close in the fourth set and fought hard, but the Lady Dogs lost 28-26 to lose the match 3-1.
This was Murphy’s first loss of the season after starting the season with three straight wins.
Hiwassee Dam
On Aug. 19, the Lady Eagles returned home to “The Nest” to take on Rosman (2-2) for the first time since 2018.
To start the game, neither team led by more than one point. The Lady Eagles had the first multi-point lead when they took a 9-7 lead. Rosman fought back to tie the match at 11.
There were multiple lead changes as the first set went on, but the Lady Eagles took control late. They maintained their lead and won the first set 25-21.
The Lady Eagles took an early lead to start the second set, but Rosman fought back to take the lead. The Lady Eagles took their first timeout trailing 9-4. Coming out of the timeout, Rosman extend their lead to 13-4 before the Lady Eagles scored again.
Rosman used its momentum to make it 18-10 when the Lady Eagles called another timeout. Still using that momentum, Rosman won the second set 25-16 to tie the match 1-1.
In the third set, Rosman gained the lead early and maintained it throughout the third set to win 25-19 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Lady Eagles took a big early lead in the fourth set. When Rosman called its first timeout, the Lady Eagles led 15-8. They grew their lead to 10, but Roman began to fight back late.
The Lady Eagles took a timeout as Rosman was closing the gap. Rosman called a timeout late in the match as the Lady Eagles led 24-20.
Out of the timeout, Brinkley Payne slammed a kill to win the set 25-20 and force a fifth set.
Rosman came out strong in the fifth set and immediately took the lead. They went on to win the fifth set 15-6 and take the match 3-2.
On Thursday, Hiwassee Dam hit the road to Hayesville to face the Lady Yellow Jackets (5-1) in their third game of the week.
Hayesville came into the match on a four-game win streak and made it five against the Lady Eagles.
The Lady Yellow Jackets took an early lead by winning the first set 25-11. The Lady Eagles fought hard in the second set, but Hayesville won it 25-20 to lead 2-0 in the match.
In the third set, Hayesville won 25-5 to win the match 3-0. This was the first game this season that the Lady Eagles didn’t go to a fifth set.
Up next
Both teams are back in action Thursday with Murphy at home and Hiwassee Dam on the road. The Lady Dogs will host Summit Charter (0-6) at 6 p.m., while the Lady Eagles will head to Georgia to face Fannin County (7-8) at 7 p.m.
Hiwassee Dam will hit the road again Tuesday, Sept. 2, as they face Robbinsville at 6 p.m.
Murphy and Hiwassee Dam will play each other again Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m. in Hiwassee Dam.