Andy Scheidler
sports@thefranklinpress.com
The screams, cheers and overall noise after each point were nearly deafening.
Franklin’s volleyball came out with a very vocal crowd support during Wednesday’s championship match against Brevard in the Mountain Six Conference tournament.
Buoyed by the backing, the Panthers took the opening set 25-20. The excitement and enthusiasm – plus maybe a little bit of surprise – were evident all over their faces as they huddle together.
However, FHS wasn’t able to maintain that play for the entire match. Brevard came back to win the second set 25-17, the third set 25-12 and took the fourth 25-22.
“The crowd was amazing,” FHS coach Bekah Brooks said. “The girls played great. Brevard gave us a good run. What more do you expect in a finals game?”
Brevard improved to 22-5 on the season. The Blue Devils went undefeated during regular season MSC play and took the tournament title a year after finishing as the runner-up.
This was the second year of the MSC tournament, and the first the coaches in the championship got together to select an all-tournament team.
Makenna Wilson was named MVP. Also making the all-tournament team for Brevard and coach Cori Bryson were Madison Baldridge, Hannah Cabe and Kaitlyn Pressley.
Alison Knop, Maitlyn Rewis and Adrianne Duvall earned all-tourney honors for Franklin.
The Panthers, who were also regular season runners-up, came out inspired. They took a set off Brevard for the first time this season.
But maintaining that level of play and enthusiasm is far from easy.
“It’s very draining,” Brooks said. “But I was proud of the way they came out. Honestly, I was proud of every game they played but the third game.”
Brevard reeled off nine straight points in the third set and coasted to an easy win.
“No one should ever score nine straight points on us. We’re too good of a team,” Brooks said. “It was just miscommunication.”
Brooks challenged the Panthers to fight in the fourth, and that’s exactly what they did. Brevard led 19-15 when FHS chipped away and tied it 21-21.
The Blue Devils closed it out, though, and played like a team ranked No. 2 in the state.
A playoff atmosphere was fitting for two of the top 10 teams in the state. The Panthers came in ranked No. 7.
“They fought,” Brooks said. “Somebody might say, ‘Well you lost.’ But that means nothing. They fought their guts out. It would’ve been really easy to give up. ‘It’s OK, let’s just go home.’ They made it 21-21. That was with subs in, a lot of young kids in. We didn’t finish with all of our seniors in.”
Brooks made a substitution in the back row during the second set, bringing in Tori Ensley. The freshman, who was moved up from the JV after the season, played for most of the rest of the match.
The Panthers finished without their setter on the floor. Adrianne Duvall took a rocketed slam straight to the face midway through the fourth set, but she should be fine going forward.
FHS was the host site a year after Smoky Mountain hosted the tournament.
The Panthers beat No. 3 seed Hendersonville in the semifinals, winning 3-1. It was the first time they had lost a set to the Bearcats, and Brooks challenged her team to focus despite not having played a match in 11 days.
“This is your home floor,” she told them. “I know you haven’t been playing in a while, but that’s not an excuse. You actually should be playing better, because you’re not tired, you’re not sore. But you have to take it on yourself.”
Brooks also asked the Panthers if they wanted to be watching the championship on their home floor or playing in it.
“I wouldn’t want to watch on my home floor,” she said. “Whether we win or lose (in the championship), we’re playing. And that’s the way it should be. You don’t get to be the No. 2 team in the conference and not show up. You’ve got to be prepared, and you’ve got to know that everybody is gonna be coming for you. That’s how teams are playing right now, that’s how the playoffs are gonna be, you’ve got to be ready.”
The 2-A NCHSAA playoffs begin Saturday. The nine conference champions in the Western Region were seeded 1-9, and Franklin was the next highest ranked team.
The No. 10 Panthers will host No. 23 Draught (15-10) Saturday in the Panther Den.
A possible second-round opponent is No. 7 Forbush (17-9), while a fourth meeting with No. 2 Brevard could occur in the third round.
“We’ll probably see them again in the playoffs if we continue to win,” Brooks said before official brackets were released.
“My ultimate goal is to play on Halloween (when the third round will be played). But by gosh, we’ll take one game at a time.”