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Randall’s serving helps SM rally for win in five games
Cassie Randall’s serving helped bring Smoky Mountain from behind in the fifth game as the Lady Mustangs rallied for a 20-25, 26-24, 26-24, 21-25, 15-13 non-conference volleyball victory on Aug. 29 at Murphy.
The Lady Bulldogs held a 12-6 lead when Randall took over serving and reeled off seven straight points putting her team up 13-12. Jennifer Webb had a kill along the way. Sarah Haggard served the final point with Webb providing the kill.
“Cassie was a spark plug in the last game,” Coach Tonya Snider said. “She served really well, and she used her opportunity to step out on the court, play well and help out the team.”
SM led 6-3 in the first game after Webb served three points, including two aces. The Lady Bulldogs responded with six straight points to take the lead for good.
The Lady Mustangs led most of the second game before falling behind late. They recovered with Amy Haggard serving the last three points and Webb having a couple of kills.
Colleen Davis’ three points, including an ace, put SM up 5-2 in game three. Murphy moved ahead midway through the game, but the Lady Mustangs again rallied. Sarah Haggard had four points, including an ace, while Webb had a kill and a block for a 24-23 edge. Davis served the last point, and Webb had a kill.
Sarah Haggard’s three points, including an ace, and Webb’s kill gave SM a 4-1 edge in the fourth game. Murphy evened the match by closing the game on a 9-2 spurt.
“Now’s a good time to get the experience of going five games,” Snider said. “We may get into that situation in conference games.”
Webb put down 17 kills to go with three solo blocks and two block assists. Haggard handed out 34 assists. Brittany Gilbert handled 24 of 30 serve receptions and came up with 10 digs.
“We were relatively inconsistent and couldn’t get into a good rhythm,” Snider said. “Murphy took us by surprise a little bit. I don’t think we were expecting them to play us as tough as they did. I was proud of the team for not giving up and pulling out the win.”
Davis led in service points with 12, and Randall had 10. Davis served 95.2 percent followed by Randall and Amy Haggard both at 93.3 percent. Team serving was 85.2 percent.
The Murphy JVs took a 25-10, 15-25, 25-22 victory.
“We ran a new offense, and it’s going to be awesome,” Coach Natasha Wilson said. “We hadn’t had enough practice time. Taylor Boss played libero. That’s going to be a plus. Brittany Woodard is our sole setter, and she’s a natural.”
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