Home-Opener Ends with Massive Win for HHS

By Travis Dockery

Sportswriter

The Hive was buzzing on Tuesday, Sept. 15 for the first home matches for the Hayesville High School volleyball program. The Lady Jackets have been on the road since the season started in mid-August due to air conditioning replacements. Hayesville opened their home floor in a big way, welcoming rival Murphy in a Smoky Mountain Conference Battle.

In the varsity contest, the Lady Jackets were feeling the support of a vocal Jacket Nation and came out strong, winning the first set 25-14. However, Murphy wasn't nearly ready to concede the match.

Set two saw the Lady Bulldogs jump out to a big lead of 11-0 before Hayesville put a point on the board. The visitors went on to cruise to a 25-15 set-win to tie the match at 1-1.

The third set saw the momentum pendulum swing back to the Lady Jackets as they began the set with a big run. That was short lived as the Lady Bulldogs came fighting back. Now in a "dog fight" Hayesville hunkered down and took the set 25-21.

Set four became an instant classic between the two teams. The Lady Jackets grabbed an early advantage, but the trend continued as Murphy closed in and eventually took the lead in the race to 25. The visitors found themselves in the lead with 24 points, but Hayesville did not give up. The Lady Jackets went on a run, tied things up and blew by the Bulldogs to get the 26-24 set win and clinch the match 3-1.

"I was very proud of the effort I saw out there," said coach Tammy Dills of the match. "We didn't give up. It got hard but we kept fighting and found a way to win. "

The win improves Hayesville's record to 6-4 while Murphy fell to 9-3.

In the JV portion of the night, an undefeated Hayesville squad took to their home court against a three-loss Murphy team. The Lady Jacket flexed their muscles to get things started, winning the opening set 25-16.

After the dominating win in the first set, it looked like Hayesville was on the way to win number nine. The problem was no one told the Lady Bulldogs. Murphy used a 26-24 win in set two to force a deciding third set.

In that set, the rivals went back-and-forth with each fanbase erupting each time their team scored. When all was said and done, Murphy stood tall, winning the set 15-13 and the match 2-1.

Both HHS teams will return to action on their home floor on Thursday, Sept.17 when Swain County comes to town for another SMC showdown. The high school portion of the evening will begin at 5 p.m. with the JV match.