Whether it be volleyball or tennis, each recent autumn has found Franklin High School (FHS) women dominating opponents in both sports. This year appears to promise similar results.
Lady Panthers varsity volleyball was on a roll before suffering their first setback in a home loss to West Henderson on Sept. 10. However, with eight more contests in between, Coach Bekah Brooks’ squad will have an opportunity to avenge that defeat Oct. 3 in Hendersonville. Brooks quickly got her players back on track with five successive wins leading up to their Sept. 24 victory at Pisgah, 3-1, and the team currently sits at second place in the Mountain Seven Conference (M7C) with a 16-1 record overall and 8-1 in the M7C. In total, the women have won 48 sets to only six defeats.
On the junior varsity (JV) side, the girls won 2-0 over Pisgah, Sept. 24, extending their season-long winning streak to 16-0 (9-0). During the streak, the JV team has only lost three sets, while winning 32. Reflecting on the streak and effort put forth by her charges, JV Head Coach Cindy Harrell expressed confidence along with some wisdom.
“Being undefeated so far is great, but it’s also a lot of pressure and that can sometimes cause us to lose sight of what our team goals were at the beginning of the season. We need to stay focused on what our goals are, both as individuals and as a team, for each game and for the entire season. We can’t lose sight of the task at hand.”
With a total of 21 matches on the regular season schedule, Harrell’s girls are well on their way to a special volleyball season.
“I wasn’t quite sure how we would do with all of the obstacles we’ve been handed this year as a program,” said Harrell. “I knew we had the depth and ability … I’m happy to say that I feel as a program, our girls saw the challenge, laced up their volleyball shoes, and decided they were going to show everyone what Panther volleyball is made of. They weren’t going to settle for anything less than their best. They leave it all on the court every game.”
High school and middle school tennis
The Lady Panthers tennis team is still undefeated in the M7C (9-1 overall) after a 9-0 win at the Pisgah Bears, Sept. 23, following a win against East Henderson on Sept. 16 in Franklin. Prior to that, Franklin also defeated Tuscola Sept. 18 by the same score after gaining a 7-2 win over West Henderson, Sept. 9. In that match, only the top two-seeded players – seniors Kate Phillips and Abigail Angel lost. Yet both those young ladies avenged their singles losses with doubles wins in the match.
As two of the most successful members of the squad, Kate and Abigail are both doing their best to enjoy the ups and downs of their fourth year playing tennis at FHS.
her tennis career with the
MMS team.
“Each year is different, with different opponents, teammates, and personal skill level, so all I’m aiming for is to leave everything I’ve got, out on the court and see where it goes from there,” said Kate.
While the duo has enjoyed much success as doubles partners, Abigail still has some additional goals she strives for.
“I would love to accomplish going to the state tournament together in doubles. But personally, I would like to accomplish getting a full ride scholarship,” said Abigail.
“I have not committed to a school for tennis but I would jump at the opportunity,” said Kate. “I would love to commit to Catawba College because one of my coaches played [there], but I would just be happy to be able to continue playing tennis at any school.”
As for their chances this year, Abigail added, “I think the team will do great this year because the freshmen have great potential. [FHS Head] Coach Heather (Bell) strives to create a hard-working team. I try to create a balance on being a mentor to the younger girls and also being competitive and improving myself.”
Of the 12-member team, nearly half (five) are freshmen. While it may seem to equal inadequate experience and struggles, that has not been the case. At least part of the reason is what Macon Middle School (MMS) is doing with its own athletic programs. In fact, Bell, who is in her 11th year at FHS, attributes her sustained team success in part to MMS’ ability to groom young players before high school.
She pointed out that all her team members have played middle school tennis under MMS Head Coach Heidi West and with the number of players currently freshmen, it makes sense to value the experience gained at MMS.
“I think our program is getting stronger because of the ability to recruit more. I have the middle school boys’ and girls’ teams; we are a co-ed team and play against schools in Georgia,” said West. “A lot of our kids also play in the Franklin Youth Tennis League that is run by Assistant Coach Sammy Gunter and Rick Blanton. They have been coaching and running this league for over 20 years. Honestly, if it wasn’t for their program helping us by buying tennis balls for our games and team shirts and other tennis equipment to work out with, our program at MMS wouldn’t be as strong.”
Additionally, MMS continues a family tradition of sorts. With eighth-grader Eva Holland performing very strong at #1 girls’ singles, along with seventh-graders Lucy Stork and Lydia Pope also playing well at seeds two and three, it is easy to see the connection between middle and high school programs. Last year Lydia and Laura Holland graduated from FHS and were staple performers in women’s’ tennis. This year Maci Stork, and junior Clara Stork, are both members of the varsity tennis team.
Coach West pointed out, “I don’t make any cuts to our team, and whoever wants to put the time and effort into learning the sport and being part of our team will find they have a place to call home.”
As for leadership from the senior players, Kate professed, “I do see the seniors as mentors for the younger girls. We try to set a good example for them when they see us on the courts and at practice. We want to show them that you can be both extremely competitive and successful in a sport while also being friendly and kind to your opponents. This is important for us to show them because they all have amazing skill and drive to do well in the upcoming seasons.”
Coach Bell expressed some apprehensive optimism regarding the ups and downs of a 14-match regular season along with potentially three rounds of playoff tournament tennis.
“We’ve had our games where the girls show up both mentally and physically and play like rock stars. Then we have games where I’m glad we’ve been blessed with the athleticism that we have because mentally we’ve been absent,” said Bell.
Regarding the relative youth of the varsity squad, Bell offered, “There are new names in the starting lineup but [seeds] 4-6 are far from new to tennis – Caroline Deal, Clara Stork and Marlee Barnes have all stepped into their roles in seamless fashion. They have put many hours of work in during the off-season. So proud and excited for all these girls!”
Bell also assessed the potential of having so many younger players on the team.
“We have a large group of freshmen, all of whom have played on the middle school team. It’s been impressive to see the eagerness and positivity that comes from this group. I suspect everyone will be hearing a lot about them in the coming years as they show a lot of dedication to the sport and their team.”
All photos by Ronnie Vanhook.
Pictured at top: FINLEY MOFFITT leaps for the kill.