HHS Volleyball Season Underway

(Photo by DeAnna Segars)

The varsity Lady Jackets are all smiles as they prepare for the marathon season. Front row, from left: Lucy Trout, Aaliyah Jackson, Micalynn McClure, Reese Segars, Charlotte Pullum, Emily Downing and manager Marliegh Lowe. Second row: assistant coach Julie Ledford, Danielle Anderson, Maddie Farmer, Jasmine Brooks, Kara Bauer, Eva Jones, Savannah Burch, Payton Hicks and head coach Tammy Dills.

By Travis Dockery

The Mountain Buzz

The calendar says it's mid-August, but the fall sports season has arrived at Hayesville High School. The Lady Yellow Jacket volleyball program leads HHS into competition following a summer filled with open gyms, camps, practices and scrimmages.

This year's team looks much different, but head coach Tammy Dills doesn't look at it as a rebuilding season. "I lost nine players to graduation and many of those players were in key roles," Dills said. "Losing that many hurts any team, but we have girls who are ready to step into those positions and thrive."

Two of those players who will anchor this year's team are Savannah Burch and Reese Segars. Burch was named Smoky Mountain Conference specialist of the year last season and Segars has verbally committed to play for Truett McConnell University after leaving HHS.

Aaliyah Jackson brings varsity experience to the Lady Jackets along fellow seniors Jasmine Brooks and Danielle Anderson. Brooks was vital at the net for the team last season and Anderson came through in clutch serving situations.

Along with the experienced group of seniors, Dills adds several talented players from last season's JV squad. The head Lady Jacket believes those players can play a role in the team's success by simply buying into the process. "Everyone will have a job," said Dills. "Some might be moved to positions they've never played before, some might not see the floor as much as they want, but if everyone buys in and takes ownership of their role, we can have a solid season."

When it comes to the SMC, everyone agrees Cherokee will again be the class of the field. While anyone can lose on any given day, the Lady Braves will be the Goliath of the conference. However, the number two spot is up for grabs. Speaking about the conference, Dills said, "It's really wide open after Cherokee. Murphy is bringing back most of the team they had last year, and Andrews has some 6-footers on the net that can be a problem. It's going to be a tough but fun season."

That season started on Monday, Aug.10 on the road against the Lady Mustangs of Smoky Mountain High School. The non-conference match was originally scheduled to be in The Hive, but air conditioning replacement forced a change. As for the match itself, it was a nail-biter. Hayesville pushed the Lady Mustangs to the limit but ultimately came up short 3-2. "We got behind every game," Dills said. "We dug our way out and won games two and four. Even the games we lost we were trying to comeback." Individual mistakes hurt Hayesville's rallying efforts against a very good team. "I was proud of the way we battled, but we've got things we've got to clean up."

HHS did get in the win column on Monday as the JV squad picked up a 2-0 victory.

The Lady Jackets won't have time to dwell on the loss as they hit the road again on Tuesday, Aug. 11 to face Highlands in another non-conference challenge.