Murphy – The Lady Bulldogs’ volleyball team came together on Sept. 3 in a match against cross-county rival Andrews, as Murphy claimed a 3-1 win.
The Lady Dogs (4-4) and Lady Wildcats (3-5) were nip and tuck with each other in the first set. Murphy finally pulled away at the midpoint of the match, and held off the Lady Cats’ attempt at a comeback as they won the first set.
Andrews came out in the second set and pulled away early. The Lady Bulldogs tried to close in on the Lady Wildcats’ lead, but could get no closer than a five-point margin during the second set. The Wildcats evened the match a one set apiece.
It looked as if Andrews would continue the onslaught, as the Lady Cats quickly jumped out to a five-point lead in the third set, but the Lady Bulldogs had other ideas. Tough play by Murphy’s hitters and continued spikes at the net helped close the gap and overtake the Lady Cats midway through the third set. Murphy had a seven-point lead by the time they hit 20, but Andrews did close it to within five before Murphy could close out the set with a win.
Murphy didn’t trail in the fourth set after they reached the double-digit mark, leading by as much as eight for much of the set. Andrews did try to mount a comeback and closed the lead to three at the midway point, but the Lady Dogs fought off the comeback to take the set and win the match 3-1.
Coach Nicole Watson was proud of her team’s effort.
“They really came together and played as a team,” she said. “They each stepped up and did what was necessary for the team during their moment. It was fun to watch them come together and carry each other.”
On Thursday, the Lady Cats hosted Blue Ridge Early College and swiftly won 3-0.
The Lady Wildcats won in dominant fashion, taking the first set 25-6, the second set 25-12 and the third and final set 25-13 to secure a 3-0 victory at home. Senior Kylie Donaldson and Kaiya Ellis led the team with aces each.
Donaldson also had nine kills, five digs and one assists. Ellis also had two kills, one dig and 26 assists.
Mady Queen had five aces, five kills, one assist and two digs. Beth Shook had one ace, two kills and eight digs. Freshman Juliet Holloway had four aces, nine kills and two digs. Allie Gibson had seven digs and Catelynn Thompson had two digs. Lauren White had two kills and Chanteah Rattler had two kills and six digs.
The Lady Dogs are on the road this week at Highlands on Thursday, then at Hiwassee Dam at 5 p.m. Monday. The Lady Wildcats are on the road first at Union County, Ga., on Thursday, then at Highlands on Tuesday. Their next Smoky Mountain Conference game is Tuesday, Sept. 24 at home against Swain County.