Season of searching leads Bluffton volleyball to Lower State final

The high school volleyball season wasn’t even two weeks old when a major knee injury to Bluffton’s top outside hitter left the Bobcats reeling.

The rest of the season has been something of a roller coaster as the Bobcats searched for the right floor combinations to make up for the loss. “Just trying to regroup and get our team back,” coach Tina Franklin said.

Though the process was rather lengthy, the timing couldn’t have been much better. The Bobcats are back in the Lower State final for the first time since 2009, where on Monday they host powerhouse Bishop England for a trip to next weekend’s Class 3A title match.

“We’re thrilled with where we are right now,” Franklin said. “I couldn’t be more proud.”

Bluffton, with five seniors, also had high expectations in its first season back at the Class 3A level but had to find itself again after Shadaisha Altacho tore knee ligaments before the month of August was out.

Altacho, a senior co-captain, came down awkwardly on one leg after making a play at the Nation Ford Invitational in Fort Mill. Not only was surgery required to repair a torn ACL, but the knee’s two other key ligaments.

“That threw us for a loop,” Franklin said. A tough nonconference schedule didn’t make it any easier, as Franklin continually tweaked lineups.

Senior Annie Franklin, the coach’s daughter, played every spot on the floor before settling in at libero, though that versatility couldn’t have hurt in becoming the region’s player of the year and an all-state selection. Junior Megan Briody took over as the Bobcats’ top hitter and also made all-state.

The chemistry finally started to click about three weeks ago, though the coach isn’t shy about making quick adjustments.

“The lineup we’re going in with (Monday) night is not where we were a week and a half ago,” Franklin said. “It changes, and we may have to change in the middle of the game.”

Monday could be a tall task, as Bishop England has scooped up every state title since before many of the Bobcats were born. The Bishops are on a run of 17 consecutive crowns, all at Class 2A until moving up to 3A in this year’s realignment.

“We need to get in their head a little bit,” Franklin said. “If we can shut them down at the net and keep them off the net, that’ll be good for us. We just need to play our game.”

This story was originally published November 6, 2016 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Season of searching leads Bluffton volleyball to Lower State final."