Gary Ayers
ayers5315@bellsouth.net
The journey of the Swain Lady Devils volleyball program the past three years has been truly amazing to watch. From a dead-last finish in conference play in 2021 to a strong second place finish in the Smoky Mountain Conference last season finishing 19-7 overall and 6-4 in SMC play shows tremendous growth for players and coaches alike.
"Our first year was hard," remembers Head Coach Lydia Sale. "But we have stuck together since these girls were 6th and 7th graders as players and coaches. We have been through the good, the bad and the ugly, and we have meshed and grown every season."
Assistant Coach Jeff Marr recalls those rough days as well. "Our first varsity year we won one game, but these girls have bought into Coach Sales' vision and have put in the time and the work and the effort, and we have lifted this volleyball program back to close to where it needs to be. We are starting to see it pay off. It has been a building process."
Some of the players like seniors Izzy Walker, Gracie Sutton, Addisyn Jenkins, Faith Woodard and others endured that one-win season as freshmen and are now starting to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Last season started off with an incredible 6-0 record with wins over larger, solid programs like Pisgah, Smoky Mountain and Tuscola. But then, Smoky Mountain Conference play had a rough 0-3 start.
"We had some good home wins early. Our girls love to play in this gym, but then we went on the road in conference play and encountered some of the adversity fans can bring on the road in tough environments like Hayesville and Murphy. I think our girls grew up a little," said Sale.
And grow up quickly they did to go from 0-3 in SMC play to 6-1.
"Last year, we set that standard: we knew the skill level was there, and we put
in the work to get good results," Sale said.
Six seniors Kaley Parker, Izzy Walker, Gracie Sutton, Mya Adams, Faith Woodard and Addisyn Jenkins will lead the Lay Devils this year along with a solid class of six juniors consisting of Kinsley Hyatt, Carley Teesateskie, Rylee Rawls, Haley Teesateskie, Kennedy Anthony and Ariel DeHart.
"Our junior girls have stuck together as they played as freshmen," Sale said. "Plus, we have a good group of sophomores coming up."
Many of these volleyball players play multiple sports with eight softball and two soccer players along with track and field athletes as well, proving their versatility and year-round effort.
While all the Swain regulars had solid statistical seasons last year, the coaches emphasize team spirit.
"We want our girls to be selfless, not to care about the stats or who gets the credit. Just do your job because we're all in this together," Marr said.
Another key to having a great 2024 season, besides this solid group of veterans, is speed of play.
"We want our team as a whole to take the next step, we're pushing them to a higher level. Volleyball, especially down-state in the piedmont area where there are more volleyball club teams, the game is faster. We are a little behind here in western North Carolina as the game has sped up in the last decade. We need to be moving faster, have a quicker pace, a quicker tempo set, we want to be already on the attack before the defense sets," Sale said.
Another asset helping with year’s team is Jenna Marr, a standout Lady Devil volleyballer who played collegiately at Lenoir Rhyne.
Swain, along with the rest of the conference, will be trying to knock Cherokee off the SMC throne as Cherokee went 10-0 in conference play without losing a set which is virtually unheard of. Cherokee finished the season 24-4 before losing to eventual state 1-A champion Polk County, who won the state title finishing 27-3.
"This year could be a really good year if things click the way we think they could," said Coach Marr. "Every day, we talk to the girls about becoming conference champions and going as far as we can in the playoffs."