It’s three down, 17 to go for Panther volleyball.
After months of preparation, on the week of Aug. 14 Franklin finally began their regular season, with nonconference matches against Robbinsville, Cherokee and Murphy. In dropping just one set all week, Bekah Brooks’ team kicked off 2023 with a bang.
On Monday, Aug. 14, the Panthers traveled to Robbinsville for a season-opening match with the Black Knights. There, junior McKayla Sanders played the first points at libero, along with senior McCall Sanders at setter, junior Cali Queen at middle blocker, and outside/opposite hitters Talley Kinsland, Emma Ledford and Kyrah Bowles.
After twice falling to the Panthers in 2022, the Knights looked sharp to begin the match, jumping out to an early 6-2 lead. Franklin slowly clawed their way back however, cutting their deficit to 14-13 to force a Robbinsville timeout.
The set turned into a dead heat from there, with both teams trading points including two kills and a block from Queen. When a kill by junior Ryan Green tied the score at 23, Franklin seemed poised for a come-from-behind win, but lost the next two points and with them the set, 25-23.
The Knights carried their momentum into the second set, winning five of the first six points to put the pressure on Franklin. Again, the Panthers responded, getting a kill and an ace from Bowles to take an 11-10 advantage.
For the next several points Robbinsville reasserted control, taking a commanding 24-20 lead just one point away from putting Franklin in an 0-2 hole. The Panthers refused to go quietly however, getting a kill from Queen, a strong double block from Queen and Kinsland, and multiple Knight errors to complete the comeback, 26-24.
After their improbable second-set win, Franklin seemed energized in the third, turning several points apiece from Green and Bowles into a 14-8 lead. Up 20-14, McKayla Sanders turned in the play of the match for Franklin, making a spectacular diving save near the sideline to keep the ball in play. Standing at the opposite corner of Franklin’s side, Bowles made a diving save of her own to set the ball for McCall Sanders, who sent a well-placed shot to the Knights’ near corner for the point. The Panthers went on to claim the set 25-15.
Up 2-1, momentum was squarely on Franklin’s side in the third, starting the set on a 14-3 run behind multiple points apiece from Queen, Bowles and Green. Up 14-6, Green scored Franklin’s next four points en route to a 25-17 win.
The next night, the Panthers returned to FHS for their home opener with Cherokee, Franklin’s first home contest of the year in any sport. In front of a gym packed with fans of both teams, Franklin employed the same starting six as the previous night, turning two kills from Queen and several Brave errors into an early 10-5 lead.
Despite Cherokee briefly tying the set at 10, Queen proved too hot to handle for the visitors, adding four more kills en route to a 25-16 first-set victory. Bowles posted a kill and an ace in the set, while promising freshman Audrey Pressly provided strong defense at the net.
Cherokee regrouped to start the second set, tying Franklin at 12 despite two more kills from Queen. Franklin claimed the next five points to take a 17-12 advantage, but Cherokee answered with an 8-2 run to lead the Panthers 20-19.
Having talked things over with coaches in a timeout, the Panthers heated up for the set’s final points, getting another kill from Queen and a well-placed shot from junior Aubrey Haley to retake the lead 24-22. On set point, Queen attempted a kill over a Braves blocker, sending the ball out of bounds past the Cherokee end line. After a pregnant pause to deliberate however, officials ruled the ball had been tipped by Cherokee, giving Franklin the set 25-22.
After the controversial set point, momentum seemed to shift toward Franklin in the third, who got two straight McKayla Sanders aces to force a Braves timeout up 7-3. The Panthers kept their foot on the gas from there, claiming the set 25-12 behind three more kills from Queen and a Kyrah Bowles ace.
Two nights later, the Panthers traveled to Murphy for their final match of the week. There, they largely controlled the first two sets, until the Bulldogs turned the tables.
“We played super-well, but kind of let up a little bit in that third game, and actually dug a hole of 9-2,” said Brooks. “[It was] just mental stuff, not staying focused, and just making mental errors. I called a timeout and said, ‘You can’t play two really good games and then make these mental errors.’ I felt like we were the better team – they do have some talent there, but in talking with their coach, they’ve had a lot of injuries and are low on numbers for the whole program. But, at some point you’ve got to give up the sympathy thing and you’ve got to want to win, so we flipped the switch in the third game and ended up beating them 25-18.”
Despite facing a daunting 9-2 deficit, the Panthers flipped the switch, winning 23 of the next 32 points to cement a 3-0 victory. While Franklin won’t open their Mountain Seven Conference schedule until Aug. 24 versus East Henderson, Brooks said she’s been very encouraged at her team’s performance so far.
“Overall, this week was astronomical,” she said. “I was super, super, super proud of the effort, super-proud of little things like buying into what we’ve been working on this whole summer, and utilizing every piece of talent that we have. It was a fun week. Wins are always awesome, but [it was] really fun at home and a good crowd. I’ve just been really proud of the way the girls are playing.”