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Lady Mustangs will open season Monday against West Henderson |
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Smoky Mountain's volleyball team will open its season at home Monday against West Henderson.
The JVs will play at 5 p.m. followed by the varsity.
Renovations to the SM gym will cause some disruptions in the first part of the season. New bleachers have not been installed, but temporary seating will be used for the only two home matches in August. Work on installing the bleachers is tentatively set to begin Sept. 4. Home matches that week and possibly the next will likely be moved to area elementary schools. "We're just going to try to make the most of the situation," Coach Cindi Simmons said. "This will give us an opportunity to play at elementary schools right after their games. That will be a lot of fun." She noted team members are proud of the new gym floor and look forward to playing the first match at home. The Lady Mustangs were 21-6 last year and won the Western Athletic Conference championship. This season they will be moving to the Mountain Athletic Conference, which includes two-time defending state champion East Henderson. "I'm looking forward to the season," Simmons said. "The girls have demonstrated a great work ethic. They seem to be very determined. Being in the new conference will be a challenge, but it's something we look forward to." The team went 4-5 in a scrimmage Saturday at Tuscola. Wins were over Freedom (20-18), Roberson (32-6), Asheville (19-12) and North Buncombe (28-14). Losses were to Crest (18-9), Tuscola (20-13), Enka (21-12), Foard (30-15) and Pisgah (25-15). "We got off to a great start against a good Freedom team and saw a lot of potential," Simmons said. "We had our ups and downs as the day went along, but we finished on a positive note." Saturday's scrimmage, which was slated for Enka, has been tentatively moved to Tuscola. The schedule was not available at Herald press time. "We just want to see improvement in our communication," Simmons said of one of the main things she will look for Saturday. "It's nice to see yourself against somebody else. You can see areas that you need to work on." A key rule change this year eliminates players being allowed only three entries per game. Instead, teams will be limited to 18 substitutions per game. "We'll just have to see how the rule works out as the season goes along," the coach said. Senior Katie Loughlin is the only returnee from the regular rotation. In Saturday's scrimmage, most of the setting duties were shared by senior returnee Amber Stephens and senior transfer Carly Harshman. Senior Christy Pruett has seen varsity playing time the past two seasons. Other senior returnees are Shay Shular and Dorothy Keane. Juniors up from the JV squad are Brittany Hilton, Elizabeth Trine, Kristin McAbee, Stasha Nicholson, Sunny Davies and Linsey Bumgarner. The other junior is transfer Jessica Cook. Ryan Cook is the lone sophomore on the varsity. JV matches are slated for 5 p.m. throughout the season with the varsity to follow. The schedule is as follows:
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Back to Sports: 08/09/01. |