Lady Bobcats Break out Broom: Sweep Lady Rebels

The Gilmer High School Lady Bobcats varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams hosted the Lady Rebels of Fannin County High School. The JV team posted double digit wins of 25-9 and 25-11, and the varsity team posted wins of 25-22, and 23-16. The Lady Bobcats were just too experienced for the upstart Lady Rebels of Fannin. This is the inaugural season for the Lady Rebels’ volleyball program.The Bobcats beat down began with a flourish as Gilmer led 7-0 before Fannin’s first point. Gilmer’s gift, the first Fannin flubs, resulted in the first two points of the game coming via Lady Rebels’ miscues. Lady Bobcat, Kalin Zagarola, then proceeded to score with five straight aces before a serve out of bounds became Fannin’s first point.

A short Lady Rebel rally cut the score to 7-3, but the Lady Bobcats went on a5-1 rally by the home team put the Lady Bobcats up 12-4. The two teams traded points back and forth, leading to the same point differential at 16-8; however, a 9-1 Gilmer run finished Fannin.

The second JV game mostly mirrored the first as the Lady Bobcats’ Sarah Thomas scored eight straight Aces before Fannin’s first score. The loud and loquacious Gilmer fan base seemed to rattle the inexperienced youngsters from Fannin, despite the diminutive nature of the crowd.

Fannin began to battle back and forth until the Lady Rebels cut the Gilmer lead to four at 13-9. The Lady Bobcats then used a 12-2 run to close the game out, including five straight aces by Thomas, and a game closing kill by Harmony Malham.

The Gilmer varsity squad handily handled the first year Fannin squad despite a furious first game effort from the Lady Rebels.

The Lady Bobcats began with a run eerily similar to ones preceding it, racing out to a 4-0 lead before a tip kill by Fannin’s Sara Dobbins made the score 4-1. A Fannin Ace followed by another Dobbins kill, put the Lady Rebels within one, down 4-3.

The two teams traded points with neither team being able to gain a substantial lead until Gilmer was able to secure a 13-8 lead. The Lady Rebels refused to give in as Fannin scored two quick points to cut the lead to three.

A dig/kill by Gilmer’s Jenna Parks put the Lady Bobcats up 14-10, followed by an Ace by Morgan Penland that saw Gilmer go up by five. Fannin again cut the lead down with two quick scores.

After a Fannin serve out of bounds and a block for a kill from Parks, Gilmer led 17-12. The Lady Rebels then tried to their best to skin the Lady Bobcats as Fannin went on a 6-2 run and cut the Gilmer lead to 19-18.

An out of bounds on Fannin, followed by yet another kill from Parks, put Gilmer up 21-19. However, a kill from Fannin’s Bethany Deal, and two straight points provided by an out of bounds, and hitting the net call on Gilmer, saw the game 21-12.

The Lady Bobcats were victorious when Gilmer finished off a four one run with an Ace from Britton Farlow.

The second game saw Fannin’s first lead of the day, when the Lady Rebels scored two quick points to take a 2-0 lead. Gilmer tied the game just as quickly when Fannin was called for hitting the net, immediately followed by a block kill from Gilmer.

An Acer from Penland, gave Gilmer a 3-2 lead. However, the Lady Rebels tied on a failed return volley from Gilmer, and an Ace from Fannin’s Amy Brownlee.

Brownlee served out of bounds, tying the game at 4-4. A 5-2 run put Gilmer up 9-6. Following two out of bounds on Gilmer, Fannin cut the lead to 9-8. A kill and an Ace from Parks put the Bobcats up 11-8. A 5-3 run put the Lady Bobcats up 16-12, leading to a Lady Rebel time out.

The Bobcats emerged from the time out to finish off Fannin with a 9-4 run including a game clinching Ace from Parks.