The Highlands volleyball teams made it a clean sweep Tuesday night at the Little Smoky Mountain Conference tournament at Blue Ridge Early College, winning both the varsity and JV championships.
The Lady Highlanders dispatched host Blue Ridge 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-17 and 25-20) to win their first LSMC trophy.
Until now, every LSMC winner had been Hiwassee Dam who captured the regular season championship five years running. The LSMC formed in 2014 with the Lady Eagles capturing five straight conference titles.
“Hiwassee Dam has won every years I have coached,” Coach Katy Postell said following the win. “So it was nice to face Blue Ridge for it. Both teams played hard and fought for every point.”
This was both the first regular season and tournament championship for Postell since she’s been at Highlands.
“This will be the first time we have had a number one seed coming out of the season to host a state playoff game,” she said. “We hosted once before, as a two seed, but this is a HUGE accomplishment.”
This year, Highlands tied with the Lady Bobcats for first with identical 5-1 marks, but by winning the tournament crown, the Lady Highlanders are the top seed from the LSMC going into next week’s state tournament.
While tournament seeding was not completed by press time, Postell said she believes Highlands will host a first round match on Saturday.
The JV Lady Highlanders set the table for the varsity championship game by downing Hiwassee Dam 2-0 (25-17, 25-22). The trophy is the JV squad’s second straight, winning last year as well.
“The JV team played solid with few mistakes,” Postell said. “I am beyond proud of those girls, from start to finish this season their growth has been exponential. They played hard, and played with precision, they executed and won. They did all the little things. There is so much talent on that team. They have a very bright future.”
The N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1A state tournament begins Saturday. The second round is set for Tuesday, Oct. 29, and if the Lady Highlanders advance, they will play again Oct. 31 in a third round match.
