Hiwassee Dam – With masks adorned over smiles and a small number of fans in the stands due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Hiwassee Dam Lady Eagles took the floor on Monday for the first time this year, falling to Blue Ridge in straight sets to open the season.
The three-set match was competitive in every set, with both teams knocking off the rust that had accrued over months of not being able to practice as a team.
“They (his players) were excited, but I think that they were nervous,” Walker said of his team’s emotions before the game. “Because, again, our practice was limited. But I think this was a good start. I’ve seen some things that we can definitely work on and build on. I think we’ll be in the hunt this year.”
The Lady Eagles opened the match strong, trading points with Blue Ridge until the Lady Bobcats made a late run and pulled away to claim the first set by a count of 25-19.
Blue Ridge continued its momentum into the second set, as the Lady Eagles struggled with miscommunication issues on tip-hits, which led to a 25-16 set win for the Lady Bobcats.
Hiwassee Dam opened the third set looking like a completely different team, as spikes from seniors Katie Gibson and Chloe Roe pushed the Lady Eagles ahead to an early 11-5 lead in the set, before miscommunications and unforced errors on Hiwassee
Dam’s part allowed Blue Ridge to storm back and claim the third set by a count of 25-14.
“We were doing fundamental things,” Walker said of what changed to open the third set. “We were passing the ball where we needed to, setting the ball where we needed to and we were actually swinging at the ball. We’re still a little timid, but we’re going to work on that.”
For Walker, whose players were only allowed to practice as a team, the outlook for his program looks good, with many of the issues that plagued the Lady Eagles having been self-inflicted.
“We did make a lot of mental mistakes,” Walker said. “Part of it was nerves, part of it was lack of confidence. I’m going to try and build their mental game up as much as I can in the next couple of days, and hopefully they will be able to come together and play a little bit harder mentally, physically they put themselves out there.”
Basketball standout Katie Gibson, who joined the Lady Eagles volleyball team for her senior season, was one of the bright spots for Hiwassee Dam, showing off her height and athleticism with a handful of blocks and effortless-looking kills.
“If I can get her to be more aggressive, because there were a couple times where she really could have swung,” Walker said of Gibson’s performance to open the season. “But it’s that confidence that is sometimes between making a mistake versus making a kill, and that is where I need to get her to be. I need her to swing hard every time and put the ball down.”
With volleyball procedures changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic – teams don’t shake hands before the game, switch sides between sets and are discouraged from celebrating with physical contact such as high fives and hugs – Walker said the new reality of high school volleyball is going to take a while to get used to.
“Yes, yes it was,” Walker said when asked if the changes were a notable difference. “Because we can’t shake hands, can’t give hugs. You can’t really give ‘Atta-girls’ from 6 feet away.”
Walker continued, speaking to the difficulty of finding energy with a limited amount of fans allowed.
“Oh, it will be (a struggle),” he said of the need to generate energy on the court. “And when we travel, we won’t have anybody there yelling for us. So again, that’s part of the mental game that they will have to adjust to.”
The Lady Eagles will travel to Highlands face the Lady Highlanders on Friday for their second match of the shortened season.