Pisgah volleyball fights for playoff spot
Oct. 7—The Pisgah volleyball team is 5-5 in conference games and currently sits in fourth place in the Mountain 7 3A Conference, according to Maxpreps.com
Over its last seven games, the team is 5-2, with decisive wins over conference foes Smoky Mountain, Franklin and Tuscola.
Pisgah beats Franklin
Pisgah defeated Franklin 3-2 on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at home, avenging its earlier loss to the Panthers on Sept. 1 (a 3-1 defeat).
The game went to five sets: Franklin took the first set 29-27, Pisgah the second 25-21, Franklin the third 25-22 and Pisgah the fourth 27-25. The fifth and final set went to Pisgah 15-8.
"The girls just fought their hearts out that game," said head coach Katie O'Connor. "I'm so proud of the fight they had in them. In the fourth set, we were down 24-19, and we came back and won. I've played volleyball for a while now, and I've never seen a comeback like that."
The Panthers are 13-6 (6-5 in Mountain 7) and are ranked third in the conference.
Sophomore Mable James led the team in kills with 12. She was one of the top defenders for the Bears as well, recording nine total blocks.
"She's still so young and she's got a lot to learn, but she's so coachable and has so much raw talent," O'Connor said of James. "I'm excited to see how she grows and develops."
Senior Chloe Burch led the team in assists with 37 and in digs with 20. She was tied for first with three serving aces along with juniors Addison Sorrels and Meredith Collins.
Bears fall to West
The Lady Bears next match was a 3-0 shutout loss to West Henderson on Wednesday, Sept. 28. The win for West Henderson is the second game of the sweep after previously beating the Bears 3-1 on Sept. 7.
"They're a pretty solid team," O'Connor said. "You have to bring it mentally and physically."
Set scores were 25-10, 25-14 and 25-12.
The Falcons are 18-4 (9-1 in Mountain 7) and are in second place overall.
Collins led her team with five kills, Burch led with eight assists and Burch, Sorrells and senior Maddie Rhea each had one serving ace.
James and Rhea each recorded one block on the defensive side, while Burch led the team with 13 digs.
Bears fall to Braves
Pisgah dropped its second straight game, this time to Cherokee 3-1, on Monday, Oct. 3. The Lady Bears shut out the Braves 3-0 on Sept. 21. Cherokee is a non-conference opponent.
The game went to four sets: Cherokee took the first two 25-12 and 25-20, but Pisgah rallied and won the third 25-22. The fourth went to Cherokee 25-18.
"They're scrappy. It's not enough to just show up in these away games. You have to show out, as well. They just outplayed us. It was tough, but I think it was humbling as well. I think that's what fueled them for the Tuscola game," O'Connor said.
Senior Gracie Burgess led the team with 11 kills, Rhea had a team-leading three assists and Burch and Lettie Jo Watson each recorded three serving aces.
Burgess, Burch and James each recorded one block, while junior libero Aven Thompson had 23 digs.
Pisgah sweeps Tuscola
The Black Bears regained their footing with a 3-0 shutout of rival Tuscola, the second shutout of the Lady Mountaineers this season after a 3-0 victory on September 8.
"My girls got in fight mode and finished it. I was really proud of them. The environment was pretty hostile. I told them to focus on our game and don't let that mess with your head."
Tuscola is 3-17 (1-9 in Mountain 7) and in sixth place in the conference.
No stats were available at press time.
What's next?
Pisgah has two games left: a home game against East Henderson on Thursday, Oct. 6, and then travels to North Henderson on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
East Henderson is 1-16 (1-9 in Mountain 7) and in sixth place in the conference. Pisgah previously beat the Eagles 3-1 on Sept. 13.
North Henderson (16-3-1, 10-1 in Mountain 7), meanwhile, is the No. 1 team in the conference and beat Pisgah 3-0 on Sept. 15.
If the Lady Bears can pull together two wins to cap their season, they may have a shot at claiming one of the top two automatic playoff bids.
