Murphy – It took a little longer than the Lady Bulldogs are used to, but they took care of business against Highlands.
Murphy bested the Highlanders on Thursday in four sets, 25-18, 25-18, 16-25, 25-15. It was the first win for head coach Jordan Lovingood, who took over for Nikol Edwards after she stepped down to spend more time with her family.
“It feels good,” Lovingood said. “Really and truly, I didn’t have any doubt in my mind about these girls. It’s our first game, and whenever I saw them out in the first game, I knew they were ready to go.”
Murphy’s biggest strength is its hitting, and the Lady Bulldogs’ work best when they stay in attack mode. Torin Rogers, Olivia Payne and Maddison Seabolt got most of the swings, with Rogers and Payne finishing with 15 kills and Seabolt adding 11. The offense works because of senior setter Amber Martin, who almost always makes a good pass.
“Amber’s been my setter since the eighth grade,” Rogers said. “To kind of grow up with her and get to play with her has been amazing. We’ve both grown over the past four years, and to play our senior year together – me front middle, and her front setter – it’s awesome.
Highlands (1-2 overall) jumped out to a 10-7 lead in set one, but the Lady Bulldogs went on an 11-2 run to take command of the set. The Highlanders scored three straight points to cut the lead to 18-15, then Murphy answered back to close out the set. Rogers was particularly big in the latter stages of the set, getting five kills in the Lady Bulldogs last 10 points.
The second set started off as a back-and-forth affair, though Murphy scored four straight to take a 10-6 lead and never trailed again. Highlands ended up cutting the lead to 16-15, though the Lady Bulldogs stood strong to put away the second set, 25-18.
In the third set, Highlands took advantage of the Lady Bulldogs’ struggles in the serve-and-receive game, and were never truly threatened in the set after going on a 5-0 run to lead 11-6. A kill by Cailey Dockery cut the lead to 11-7, but three straight service aces by Reese Schmitt pushed Highlands lead back out to a comfortable range.
Murphy only went to a fourth set once against Smoky Mountain Conference competition last season and hadn’t dropped a set to a Little Smoky Mountain team since Sept. 21, 2017, against Hiwassee Dam.
“This happens to us a lot,” Lovingood said. “I feel like we get confident that we won the first two and don’t have to worry about the third. It’s our first game, we have to get our jitters out.”
The fourth set initially looked to be a nail-biter until Murphy’s imposing finish. Highlands led 15-14 when the Lady Bulldogs took 11 straight points to win the set in the match.
The Highlanders called timeout when Murphy led 20-15, but it didn’t matter. A kill and then a solo block by Seabolt left Highlands rattled, and the Lady Bulldogs finished off the match.
“We just talked better,” Rogers said about the fourth set. “We played for each other instead of with each other. I think that was a big deal and it allowed us to close out the match sooner.”
Murphy hosted Tallulah Falls on Monday and traveled to Franklin on Tuesday, which ended after the Cherokee Scout went to press. The Lady Bulldogs finish the week at Hiwassee Dam this Thursday.