Murphy – After winning at least a share of the Big Smoky Mountain Conference championship for the sixth straight season, Murphy was well represented in this year’s conference awards.
Senior Liv Payne was named co-Player of the Year, sophomore Addie Johnson was named Co-Setter of the year and head coach Jordan Lovingood was named Co-Coach of the Year.
The trio shared the awards with Robbinsville’s Kensley Phillips, Desta Trammell and Kadey Phillips, respectively, after Murphy and Robbinsville tied for first place in the conference during the regular season. Murphy would end up overcoming a 2-0 set deficit to best Robbinsville in the conference tournament final and be seeded with other champions.
After being an All-Conference selection as a junior, Payne took on an even bigger role for her senior year. She had a team-high 410 kills, led the team in digs with 296 and had 34 service aces. She was also a leader for the Lady Bulldogs on and off the court, capable of getting a key kill or dig.
“Liv’s just a go-getter, Lovingood said of Payne after a match earlier this fall. “I’m so proud of the way she plays. Not only that, she’s just mentally tough on the court. She’s our person out there who’s the voice of reason, and at times we heavily rely on her and she comes through for us most of the time.”
In her first year on varsity, Johnson finished with 777 assists and a team-high 58 service aces. She also was critical in Murphy’s defense at the net, finishing tied for second on the team with 31 blocks.
Lovingood has now won coach of the year awards in each of her two seasons as head coach. After graduating six seniors (including four starters) from last year’s regional runner-up, Murphy started this year just 6-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
They then went on a 17-game winning streak winning a share of the regular season title and the conference tournament before falling in the Sweet 16 of the state playoffs. Murphy has a record of 46-7 in Lovingood’s two seasons at the helm.
Joining Johnson and Payne on the All-Conference team were senior Riley Dockery, junior Maddison Seabolt and sophomore Julia Dockery. Riley Dockery was an all-around player for the Lady Bulldogs at outside hitter, finishing second on the team in digs (279), finishing third in service aces (50) and third in kills (126). Her younger sister, Julia, started at middle hitter and finished with 93 kills, 194 digs, 37 blocks and 25 service aces.
Seabolt formed a strong hitting duo with Payne, mostly playing middle hitter but was also set on the outside in certain rotations toward the end of the season. Her 271 kills were second behind Payne, and she had a team-high 64 blocks and 55 service aces were tied for second. She also had 198 digs, rarely leaving the court as a six rotation player. She was an honorable mention selection last year.
Two other Murphy players, senior Maddie Parker and junior Cali Rumfelt, were honorable mention selections. Also joining the pair as an honorable mention was Andrews senior Rylie McDonald, who was the Lady Wildcats’ main offensive threat as a middle hitter.
In the Little Smoky Mountain Conference, Hiwassee Dam sophomore Olivia McNabb was named All-Conference, after leading the Lady Eagles in kills as a middle hitter. Freshman Brinkley Payne and junior Madison Shorette both received honorable mentions.
McNabb led the Lady Eagles in kills as a middle hitter and, along with Payne at outside hitter, could provide issues for Little SMC teams over the next two years. Payne also led Hiwassee Dam in service aces. Shorette had more of a defense-first role, leading the Lady Eagles in digs.
Nantahala freshman Zoey Passmore joined Payne and Shorette as an honorable mention selection, displaying a good serve and some potential as a hitter in her first year at the varsity level.