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Lady Maroon Devils Savana Smith and Arizona Blankenship block an Andrews spike in the home loss against the Wildcats Thursday.
Hannah Styles
hstyles@thesmokymountaintimes.com
On Thursday, the Lady Devils hosted Andrews at home playing at an earlier time than usual due to the cancellation of the JV game.
Swain won the first set putting up a strong fight but lost the next three, bringing Andrews to a 3-1 win.
Head Coach Lydia Sale said the team played well in the first game but Andrews upped their game throughout the match.
“Our team showed a lot of promise and potential in the first set versus Andrews. As the match progressed, Andrews upped their skill and intensity, and in the end, those things gave them the victory. Our girls are continuing to come in, work together and give it their all in practice, which is all we as coaches can ask for,” said Coach Sale.
The team is very young, with three freshman starters and they continue to improve throughout the season, but some mistakes led to Andrews getting the upper hand on them in this match.
One standout player is newly named Addition Team Captain Amaya Hicks, who has stepped up to organize team breakfasts on game days and hold everyone accountable and encourages her teammates to give their all, according to Coach Sale.
“While our victories may not have been on the scoreboard, we are seeing them as our girls are developing into strong leaders and progressing the culture in a positive direction,” said Coach Sale.
Senior Savana Smith had 15 kills and a pair of blocks for the night, followed by Kiersten Smith and Gracie Sutton with 4 kills each.