2 athletes, 3 milestones

Robbinsville – While sprinting through a hectic stretch of action, two Lady Knights seniors cemented their legacy in Robbinsville volleyball history.

Delaney Brooms surpassed 1,000 digs and kills in the same match – a 4-set triumph at Hayesville on Oct. 5 – while Aubrie Wachacha served her 100th ace to begin the fifth set of Tuesday’s senior-night festivities against Swain County.

Both know a lot is still at stake: the regular season ends tonight with a trip to Cherokee (18-3, 9-0), which has already wrapped up the Smoky Mountain Conference title. But a Robbinsville win secures a second-place finish, which helps provide a first-round bye in the divisional tournament and factors heavily into playoff seeding.

And yet, both also took a moment to relish in their individual achievements.

“When I started my freshman year as a club player year-round, I had a 1,000-kill goal to make before I graduated,” Brooms recalled. “The digs never really crossed my mind until this year and I saw that both were attainable.

“It was really cool to have both happen on the same night. Of course, I wanted it to happen at home – but hey, I’ll take it whenever I can get it.”

Brooms staked her claims in the middle of a fiercely-competitive 26-24, 26-24, 20-25, 26-24 battle with Hayesville (7-12, 3-6). The outside hitter picked up her 1,000th kill to tie the second segment 23-23; her 1,000th dig came on a volley that closed the gap between Robbinsville (14-6, 6-3) and the Lady Jackets to 18-23 in set three.

Claire Barlow and Wachacha teamed up for some late blocks to lift the Lady Knights to a set-one victory; Hayesville struggled with return errors down the stretch in the fourth to afford Robbinsville the win.

Wachacha has been dominant at the service line all year. She flirted with tying the single-match state record of 23 aces by posting 19 non-refundable deposits into Blue Ridge territory during a Sept. 12 home match; but the look of shock when the announcement was made after the opening serve of set five went unreturned told the story that she was unsure how close she was to the milestone.

“I am beyond blessed to have gotten 100 aces,” Wachacha said. “My emotions are over the top with it. I am beyond thankful for my friends and coaches, who have pushed me to my best abilities.

“My family even pushed me with my serves; though they aren’t on the court, they still push me in the crowd.

“It just amazes me that I have come this far with my serves. Hopefully, I will continue to grow with my aces.”

Wachacha’s stint at the line in the Tuesday tiebreaker gave Robbinsville an 0-7 lead in the race to 15, as the Knights vied for second place against Swain County (16-5, 5-4). The match had been the very definition of a back-and-forth: neither side could ascertain a lead greater than two in the opening stanza, while the Lady Devils used a set of 6-0 runs in the second to tie the match.

The Lady Knights managed to erase the first of the efforts completely, but could not reply to another strong-arm.

Robbinsville leapt to a 7-16 nod in set three, by far the biggest lead either side would enjoy in the contest. Though Swain County trimmed the deficit before the closing, the match returned to a seesaw before an 8-2 Lady Devils sprint to force a fifth set.

The ending was a heartbreaker: Swain managed to race back and tie the fifth set 13-13 and with the match on the line, the Devils managed to spoil Robbinsville’s senior night when a controversial net-violation was called by the head official.

The jeers and outrage from the Knights’ side of the court was both undeniable and understandable.

Andrews hosts the conference tournament this year, which begins Saturday. Check The Graham Star’s social media for updates Friday about tournament seeding and match schedules.

JV, middle school

Robbinsville increased its middle-school fortunes to 9-3 on the campaign by sweeping Hayesville 25-17, 25-19; and Swain County 11-25, 6-25.

In JV action, Robbinsville dropped to 2-14 after falling 6-25, 10-25 to the Lady Jackets; and 25-23, 25-16 to the Devils.