Hiwassee Dam – As one of the smallest high schools in North Carolina, it’s hard to have a next man up at Hiwassee Dam.
The Lady Eagles volleyball team was in that situation for a good bit of the season, missing their two top hitters, Olivia McNabb and Brinkley Payne. McNabb suffered an ankle injury in a home match against Cherokee on Aug. 28, while Payne suffered an ankle injury at Murphy on Sept. 11.
The duo returned to the court against Fannin County, Ga., on Sept. 21. That was Hiwassee Dam’s last match before they returned to Little Smoky Mountain Conference play Thursday with a straight-set win against Nantahala (25-12, 25-8, 25-15).
“It’s great to have them back,” head coach Angie Davis said. “We’ve got everybody healthy, and they’re playing a whole lot better. I feel like since we’re back now they’re a stronger team.”
Both McNabb and Payne were able to heal well before returning, and come back with no restraints. That means putting good swings on the ball when they get on the opportunity and being strong servers, especially Payne. That showed in the first set, as Payne had four service aces, including three straight at the end to close out the first set.
The goal against the Lady Hawks (1-10 overall, 0-2 conference) was to play at the level Hiwassee Dam (4-12, 1-1) was capable of playing at, then adjust if necessary. at, then adjust if necessary. It wasn’t always pretty, but none of the three sets were out of the Lady Eagles’ control.
Hiwassee Dam played its best in the second set thanks to some strong serving, as the Lady Eagles had eight aces, including five from junior Addie Stiles during an 11-0 run to close out the set. Payne and McNabb being back made a difference in the third set, as the pair combined for six aces in 12-1 run that gave Hiwassee Dam a 14-4 lead and allowed them to cruise from there.
Though Davis would have liked to avoid injuries earlier in the season, this is the best time for her team to be at full strength. It’s conference play from here on out, including a road trip to Blue Ridge (4-8, 1-1) after press time Tuesday and another to Highlands (3-14, 2-0) on Thursday.
The Lady Eagles have experience up and down the roster after some bench players saw the court with McNabb and Payne out, which should help now
that they have their full complement of hitters. The focus is making sure they are set up well, with good passes that allow them to swing away.
“If we can get it to our hitters, then we usually do pretty well,” Davis said. “So the main thing is to keep our passing going forward.”