Hiwassee Dam – It has not been the easiest year for Andrews volleyball.
The Lady Wildcats are a young team, and the inexperience has meant struggles with confidence. The season has been much about turning belief you can compete into actually competing on the court.
After being swept by Union County, Ga., and losing a five-set match to Blue Ridge, Ga., earlier in the week, Andrews finally had reason to celebrate Thursday against Hiwassee Dam. In a match where both teams were missing key players, the Lady Wildcats came out on top in straight sets 25-23, 25-18, 25-18.
“Obviously we’re like a little family,” head coach Shanna Mustin said. “We celebrate together. I just tell them, ‘Bottle this feeling up, keep it for the next one.’ Because this is how we want to feel at the end of a game.”
The Lady Wildcats (2-9 overall) were without libero Ally Gibson, so sophomore Addie Dartez stepped in and did an admirable job. Andrews was able to get into their offense more than other games this season, getting production from senior middle hitter Rylie McDonald as well as outside hitters Kylie Donaldson and Beth Shook.
“We’ve struggled with our serve-receive,” Mustin said. “And I feel like tonight we communicated a lot better. If we can make that first pass, obviously our offense is going to be better. We’ve seen them before so we knew going in what holes were there. We really worked on hitting those spots with our offense.”
In the first matchup between these two teams on Aug. 22, Andrews took the first set before the Lady Eagles (1-1) found their footing and took the next three for their only win so far this season.
The Lady Wildcats looked strong in the first set again, jumping out to a 23-13 lead. They then committed three straight errors, and a kill from Hiwassee Dam’s Katie McNabb followed by a solo block and three straight kills from her cousin, Olivia McNabb, cut the lead to 23-21.
After a Lady Eagle service error, Hiwassee Dam scored two straight points before an error gave Andrews the first-set win.
The Lady Eagles didn’t take off in the second set like the previous matchup and had some last-minute scratches. Senior setter Payton McNabb didn’t dress, and freshman hitter Brinkley Payne turned her ankle during warm-ups.
Payne tried to tough it out in the second and third sets, though she clearly wasn’t herself. That took away the height advantage Hiwassee Dam exploited in the first match, and limited one of the Lady Eagles’ best servers.
Freshmen Gracie Roe and Brooklyn Hyde both saw playing time in this match and the night before against Swain County, as Hiwassee Dam had a thin roster going into the year with just eight players on varsity.
“What happened tonight was a freak thing,” Hiwassee Dam head coach Monica Wayman said. “The lesson learned tonight for the girls is when your number’s called, you have to be ready to play.”
The two teams traded points to start the second set, before a 4-0 run with McDonald at the service line gave Andrews a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. The Lady Wildcats hitting started to get going in the second set, too, and some strong serving allowed them to take the second set.
Some good serving by Madison Shorette allowed Hiwassee Dam to jump out to a 6-1 lead, but Andrews was able to flip the set thanks to some impressive work on the service line. The Lady Wildcats had eight service aces in the set, and Donaldson found a few holes in the defense to give Andrews a commanding 21-11 lead.
That cushion allowed the Lady Wildcats to withstand a late Hiwassee Dam run and give them their first win since beating Nantahala in the season opener.
“We finally had the confidence that
we’ve been looking for,” Mustin said. “And actually played to win, and we didn’t play timid.”