Varsity volleyball team takes on Area opponents

The LCHS varsity volleyball team improved to 18-16 overall after dropping games to North Hall and West Hall and winning games versus Fannin and Rabun counties last week.
The 2-2 week included a 1-1 record to open up area play.
The Lady Indians started the week by traveling to Fannin County High School to take on the North Hall Lady Trojans and the Lady Rebels in the team’s first area play action of the 2019 season on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
The Lady Indians squared off against North Hall in their first match of the day, getting off to a fast start. Lumpkin quickly downed the Lady Trojans in the first set 25-19 to take a 1-0 advantage. However, the Lady Trojans held strong and pulled out a close 25-21 win in the second set to even the score at 1-1, forcing the two teams to a tie-breaking third set.
In the the third set, North Hall took control and powered its way to a 15-9 win. The third set victory by the Lady Trojans allowed them to earn a 2-1 win over the Lady Indians.
“Our first set against North Hall started strong, but then we let them come back and outplay us,” said LCHS head volleyball coach Haley Dibble.
The loss gave Lumpkin a 0-1 start to area play.
After falling to North Hall, the Lady Indians bounced back in a big way against the Lady Rebels of Fannin County.
The Lady Indians and the Lady Rebels battled it out in a back-and-forth first set. Lumpkin was able to get the upper hand late in the set to earn a 28-26 victory, putting the Lady Indians up 1-0.
In the second set, the Lady Indians turned up the energy and cruised to a 25-15 win to capture a 2-0 victory and their first win in area play.
“When we took the court against Fannin, we were ready to win,” Dibble said. “The girls played hard and were being aggressive to get the win. I am very proud of the way they played against Fannin, especially coming off a tough loss. It proves that they have the desire to earn the win.”
The Lady Indians finished the week by hosting Rabun County and West Hall at the Longhouse at the LCHS gymnasium on Thursday, Sept. 19, in non-conference action.
Rabun gave Lumpkin a run for tis money in the first game of the night.
After the Lady Indians grabbed a 1-0 lead by winning the first set 25-19, Rabun fought back and fought its way to a 25-21 second set victory to even the score at 1-1.
However, in the third set, the Lady Indians came storming back. Lumpkin never allowed Rabun a chance to close the gap after earning an early lead and eventually won the third set 15-8 to take the game by a final score of 2-1.
The Rabun match may have taken a bit out of the Lady Indians because when the team took to the court to face off with West Hall they didn’t seem to have the same energy as they did versus the Lady Wildcats.
The team came out flat in the first set versus West Hall, falling to the Lady Spartans 25-15. In the second set, Lumpkin showed more energy and aggressiveness but still fell 25-20 to lose the game 2-0.
The 2-2 week gives the team an 18-16 overall record with two weeks remaining in the regular season. The team’s 1-1 area record currently has the Lady Indians sitting in third place in the Area 7-AAA standings behind second place North Hall and first place Dawson County.
Dibble is confident that if her players play as a team, they should finish out the season strong.
“I hope we continue to fight in the games that matter and that we show consistency on the court,” Dibble said. “My biggest goal for the rest of the season is that win or lose, we play as a team. If we work together, show consistency and stay aggressive, then the rest of the season will be a success.”
At press time, the LCHS varsity volleyball team was scheduled to take on the East Hall Lady Vikings on the road on Tuesday, Sept. 24. No official results were available.
The Lady Indians will retake the court when they travel to Flowery Branch to face off with the Lady Falcons tomorrow, Sept. 26. The game is set to start at 6:30 p.m.