Hiwassee Dam – Health-wise, the last few weeks have not been kind to the Lady Eagles’ volleyball team.
On Aug. 28 against Cherokee, junior middle hitter Olivia McNabb hurt her ankle after landing on another player’s foot. The Lady Eagles struggled after that with straight-set losses to the Lady Braves and Hayesville, but were able to pick up a five set win at rival Copper Basin, Tenn. on Sept. 5.
Head coach Angie Davis thought her team was learning how to play without McNabb, but on Sept. 11 at Murphy, sophomore Brinkley Payne suffered an ankle injury. That put Hiwassee Dam without two of its best hitters and best players.
Both are strong presences at the net, and Payne may have the best serve on the team, so playing without both of them has been a challenge. Hiwassee Dam fell to the Lady Bulldogs in straight sets, then were swept by Andrews the next day and in a home match against Robbinsville on Thursday.
“They were kind of starting to adjust doing the most they could,” Davis said. “With the second one, that’s two of my seasoned starters that we lost, that hurts them. They were improving, and then you lose two players it’s just tough.”
Against the Lady Wildcats (5-6 overall), the Lady Eagles battled in the first and third sets, but Andrews was able to make the crucial runs. While they fought to stay in it, they just weren’t able to score points when they needed to.
That same effort was there against Robbinsville (11-2), but that wasn’t enough against a much better Lady Knights team. Hiwassee Dam (3-10) rallied to keep points alive and at times weren’t overwhelmed by some of Robbinsville’s strong serves, but that just gave the Lady Knights easy opportunities on the other side of the net.
Led by Delaney Brooms and Claire Barlow up front, Robbinsville had their way. If that wasn’t enough, the Lady Knights had 16 aces, including 10 from Aubrie Wachacha.
It hasn’t been easy, but the opportunity has allowed some players to step up into bigger roles. Sophomore Gracie Rhodes and junior Addison Stiles are playing more up front, and senior Gabby Ermoso has had to play middle hitter in her first year playing the sport.
For those players, it’s not just about playing in the front row where they’re more comfortable, but also learning how to play in other rotations and focus on other parts of their game. With just eight healthy players in a sport that requires six, it’s what Hiwassee Dam will have to do.
Davis has still been encouraged by the Lady Eagles’ effort. Hiwassee Dam is trying to make sure points don’t come easy. But in volleyball if one team is scrapping just to get the ball over the net, then it makes it that much easier for the team on the other side to get on a roll.
It’s the situation the Lady Eagles find themselves in, though it might not be for long. McNabb is close to returning to practice, and if all goes well could be ready to play by the time the Lady Eagles get into Little Smoky Mountain Conference play.
That starts back up against with a trip
to Nantahala on Thursday, Sept. 28. Before that, Hiwassee Dam still has two more non-conference games, including a home match against Fannin County, Ga., this Thursday.
“Like I told my assistant the past few games, the score does not reflect what they’ve done on the court,” Davis said. “Because they’re really hustling.”