Volleyball Recap: Natalie Franklin and Mallory Smith Secure Win for Cobden

It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Cobden had no problem doing just that on Wednesday. They won by a set and slipped past the Carrier Mills-Stonefort Wildcats 2-1. The game was the first time the Appleknockers have beaten the Wildcats on their court since August 31, 2017.

Cobden had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first set, they turned around to win the next two. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 22-25, 25-22, 25-20.

Mallory Smith

Digs (Career)

10/29/25 @ Carrier Mills-Stonefort	22
10/15/25 vs Century	15
09/27/25 vs Elverado	14
09/13/25 @ Johnston City	14
10/14/25 @ Zeigler-Royalton	13

Leading Cobden to victory were Mallory Smith and Natalie Franklin. Smith had 22 digs and one assist, while Franklin had 22 digs, 14 kills, and two aces. Those 22 digs gave Smith a new career-high.

The win got Cobden back to even at 16-16. As for Carrier Mills-Stonefort, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-12.

Coming up, Cobden will head out to take on Trico at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Pioneers will roll in looking for their 13th straight victory, something the Appleknockers surely won't give up without a fight. Carrier Mills-Stonefort does not have any more games scheduled as of now.