Andrews – Things looked a little different for the Andrews volleyball team on Sept. 12 against Hiwassee Dam. While the Lady Wildcats were focused on the task at hand, they looked loose between sets.
It’s a little easier to play when winning, and that’s what Andrews has been doing more of recently. The straight-set win over the Lady Eagles (25-17, 25-15, 25-21) was the Lady Wildcats’ third straight win, which is their first three-game winning streak since 2018.
“We’re seeing we’ve gotten a few wins under our belt now, it’s helping us to relax and play more confidently,” head coach Shanna Mustin said. “Going into tonight, that was two things I said. We need to be confident and consistent, and for the most part we did both of those things, and it paid off in the end.”
After a four-set win over Blue Ridge on Sept. 7, the Lady Wildcats (5-6 overall) avenged two five-set losses from earlier this year. First it was a four-set win over Union County, Ga., (25-15, 25-13, 24-26, 25-11) on Sept. 11 before sweeping the Lady Eagles the next day.
The team has also been playing for assistant coach Sandy Solesbee, who lost her husband, Wildcats coaching legend Ken Solesbee, on Sept. 8.
“Ms. Solesbee’s always in our minds when we’re playing,” Mustin said. “First things they said against Union is she’d be so proud of us, and of course she is. She’s definitely given us a little bit of motivation.”
Hiwassee Dam (3-9) was without its top two hitters in junior Olivia McNabb and sophomore Brinkley Payne, who both had a big impact in the Lady Eagles five-set win over Andrews on Aug. 22. That meant there were some untested players on the other side, as well as some rotations where Hiwassee Dam did not have their usual hitting power on the front row.
The first and third sets were back and forth before Andrews made the decisive run, while the Lady Wildcats controlled most of the second set. In the first set, Andrews led 16-11 before Hiwassee Dam scored five straight to tie the set at 16.
The Lady Wildcats answered back with five straight points, including two kills by Kylie Donaldson and a service ace from Beth Shook. Two more aces from Addison Dartez closed out a first-set win.
Andrews never trailed in the second set, slowly increasing the lead with some well-placed attacks and taking advantage of Hiwassee Dam mistakes. Though the Lady Wildcats sometimes struggle with hitting due to their lack of size, hitters like Donaldson, Shook and Madison Queen stayed aggressive and succeeded at picking their spots on the court.
“Our front-row hitters are definitely swinging hard now, regardless of what’s on the other side of the net,” Mustin said. “They’re playing aggressive, and that’s kind of what we want. And obviously if the set’s not there, they’re trying to make a smart shot, so it’s not just swinging to swing but actually put the ball in the floor.”
Hiwassee Dam fought to keep the match alive, but once again Andrews came up with the points when it mattered. The Lady Eagles jumped out to a 13-9 lead, but a kill from Donaldson tied the set at 13.
An ace from shook tied the set at 19, and after Hiwassee Dam answered with two straight to edge ahead, the Lady Wildcats scored the final six points to close the match. That run included four aces from Dartez, with three straight aces to finish the sweep.
Coming into matches against Union County and Hiwassee Dam, Andrews did not want to go five sets again. The Lady Wildcats had a chance to get payback for their other five-set loss this year against Highlands after press time Tuesday.
It’ll be another chance for Andrews to show the growth that has been on display since emotional postgame conversation following a loss to Robbinsville on Aug. 31.
“I think seeing them so early in the season, we were still a little bit nervous and we hadn’t found our chemistry,” Mustin said.
“Now things are starting to mesh a whole lot better as a team.”