Panther volleyball is red-hot entering their biggest match of the year.
After a 3-1 conference loss at West Henderson Sept. 10, Franklin went on a tear, winning each of their next six matches in straight sets. With three more 3-0 wins over Murphy, North Henderson and Smoky Mountain, the team improved their overall record to 22-2, ahead of a Mountain Eight title match with West to end the season.
On Monday, Sept. 29, the Panthers hosted Murphy on Tom Raby Court to rehash their nonconference win over the Bulldogs a week before. Both teams looked evenly matched to start the first, sitting tied at seven despite two points from Bristol Brooks. From there three quick points from Emma Hatch gave Franklin the lead, and the Panthers went on to win the set 25-19.
Audrey Pressley turned red-hot to start the second, scoring nine of Franklin’s first 12 points including six in a row. Murphy had no answer for the junior’s dominant set, going on to lose 25-11.
The Bulldogs regrouped to begin the third, sitting tied at 10 despite tough defense from the Panthers. Once again Franklin slowly pulled away however, getting nine more points from Pressley to win 25-18.
The next night Franklin returned to Tom Raby Court to host North Henderson in a Mountain Eight Conference clash. In a rematch of Franklin’s straight-sets win at North Sept. 4, the Panthers wasted little time to start the first, leading 12-6 behind two points apiece from Brooks and Finley Moffitt. Pressley added four more points to win the set 25-10.
Pressley stayed hot to start the second, scoring four of Franklin’s first nine to build a commanding 9-3 lead. Ella Raby added five points down the stretch to win 25-14. Raby turned red-hot from the service area in the third, scoring eight points including six aces en route to a 25-11 rout.
Two nights later the Panthers traveled to Smoky to rehash their 3-0 win over the Mustangs Sept. 9. There Franklin looked like the better team to start the first, taking the lead 14-7 to force an early Smoky timeout. Pressley added six points down the stretch to win the set 25-14.
Franklin kept rolling into the second, getting four points from Raby to take a 13-4 lead. Smoky kicked into gear from there, but five more points from Hatch held the Mustangs at bay, 25-21.
Smoky refused to go quietly in the third, erasing a 12-4 deficit to tie the score at 17. Franklin saved their best for last however, claiming five of the last six points to win the set 25-22.
The conference wins over North and Smoky improved Franklin’s record in the Mountain Eight, to 12-1, where they ended the week in second place just behind 12-0 West. The Panthers will host the Falcons in their season finale Oct. 6 to battle for a share of the Mountain Eight regular-season title. They also ended the week as the state’s sixth-ranked 5A team, just ahead of ninth-place (20-5) West due to overall record.