From the Sports Desk

with Carey Phillips: 11/01/01

The Lady Mustangs went 16-6 overall and were 12-4 in their first season in the Mountain Athletic Conference. They tied two-time defending state champion East Henderson for third but missed out on the playoffs because of two losses to the Lady Eagles.

"We had a lot of unknowns going into the season having lost eight seniors from last year plus coming into a new conference, which included the two-time defending state champions," Coach Cindi Simmons said. "These players stepped up and took ownership of the team."

SM finished strong winning seven of its last eight league matches and was playing as well as anybody in the MAC when the year ended.

"I'm really proud of the season this team had," Simmons said. "We went 7-1 in the second round of conference play. The turning point was when every single person on the team accepted their roles. When that happened, the practices got more competitive, and the support for each other was there. They really grew as individuals and as a team at that point."

Not only did the Lady Mustangs go 7-1 in the second half of the conference season, but they were 3-1 against co-champions Tuscola and Franklin. The top four teams in the league finished within a game of each other.

"The fact that the conference co-champions had there losses each points out how competitive the conference was." Simmons said.

Highlights included sweeping Tuscola and a home victory over Franklin. Low points were losing to Roberson after being up two games to none and not being able to hold big leads in the first two games of a loss to East Henderson.

A victory in any of the four MAC losses not only would have put the Lady Mustangs in the playoffs but would have given them a share of the league title and the top seed in the playoffs. "We ended the season with a win which doesn't happen too often," Simmons said. "The manner in which we went through the second round proved we were definitely playing as well as anyone in the conference."

Other than the state championship years of 1991-93, the Lady Mustangs had never won their final match. They had either lost in the playoffs or lost in the last regular season match when a win would have meant a spot in the playoffs.

Seniors included Christy Pruett, Katie Loughlin, Amber Stephens and Carly Harshman. "Christy developed into a major contributor at middle hitter," Simmons said. "She had quickness and the ability to get to the ball. She was going up against much taller opponents night in and night out. She was one of our best servers and a solid back row player and passer." "Katie had the most experience of any of our returning players," the coach said. "She had the ability to get on a role whether it was hitting, serving or passing. She was a good solid all-around player."

"Amber's patience paid off," Simmons said. "She moved into the lineup as a senior in a very key spot at setter and came through every match. She wasn't just a good setter, but she was also a good passer, a very accurate server and could hit when given the opportunity. It really hurt us when she went down against Roberson with an ankle injury."

"Carly came in as a transfer and gave us a huge lift," the coach said. "She stepped into a setter spot and provided a key piece of the puzzle. She and Amber worked very well together. She had the ability to get to the ball and provide good sets for the hitters. The experience she gained from playing club volleyball really paid off."

Juniors included Brittany Hilton, Jessica Cook, Stasha Nicholson, Kristin McAbee, Sunny Davies, Elizabeth Trine and Linsey Bumgarner.

"Brittany made great strides from start to finish," Simmons said. "She really came on and developed into a powerful middle hitter. With continued work and improvement, she has the potential to do big things next year."

"Jessica gave us a push when she would come in on the back row," the coach said of the transfer. "She was a consistent player as a defensive specialist and fit into our program well. We will count on her experience next year."

"Stasha took advantage of every opportunity she got," Simmons said. "She had a big night at Enka, and we look forward to big things from her next year."

"Kristin was valuable to us as a defensive specialist," the coach said. "She is an intense player. She came into a match at Pisgah in a different position at a crucial time and gave us a big lift. We'll be looking to her to be a solid back row player next year."

"Sunny was able to step in at the front right position," Simmons said. "She filled in for Amber when she got hurt. She is a versatile player with the ability to hit, set and pass. She picked up valuable experience for next season."

"Elizabeth gave us some key minutes coming in on the front row as a blocker," the coach said. "Her height provided her with a different dimension which should be valuable for us next year."

"Linsey came into our program last year as a JV player and made real stride sin her skill development," Simmons said. "She worked hard every day even though she didn't see a lot of playing time. This says a lot about her."

Ryan Cook was the team's lone sophomore.

"The fact Ryan earned a starting spot on a strong team as a sophomore says a lot about her," the coach said. "She spent a lot of time in the off-season working to improve her game, and it paid off this year. She had the ability to place the ball well whether by hits or dinks."

Now the Lady Mustangs will look ahead to next year and the chances of making the playoffs with the league again being strong.

"For the second straight year, we'll be graduating both our setters," Simmons said. "We'll have to address that issue before we can put others pieces in place. We have several options to look at. We have the potential to be a strong hitting team."

The coach said she feels good about the players moving up from the JV team, but she emphasized that the lack of a middle school program is a hindrance to volleyball as well as other sports at the high school level.

"Our kids coming into the ninth grade aren't as prepared as the players they will be competing against," she said. "The opponents have been playing together in middle school for two years. That presents a challenge to our program. Our players and JV coaches have done a good job working to overcome that obstacle."

Simmons expressed thanks to Nikki Young and Melissa Hill for the time and effort they put into coaching the JVs and assisting with the varsity. She also thanked the administration for support and the parents for support and providing food after games.

On a personal note she thanked everyone for the acts of kindness shown late in the season when her father-in-law died.

"Most of all, I'd like to thank the players for a very enjoyable, successful season," Simmons said.

Back to Sports: 11/01/01.