The Lady Cougars had their last home game on Thursday afternoon. It was a long hard fought match that went five sets.
Game 1
The Lady Cougars jumped right into the game with strong passing and some good backcourt digs. Their team talk and communication was effective. Volleying back and forth keep the score tied and made it quite fun to watch. Serving was consistent but the Cougars went through an entire rotation with each player only making one serve, making it hard to get ahead. Sophomore Celeste Jeoffroy with 3 serves pushed the Cougs into the lead, 13-11. However MSA #7 took control with her serve and moved the Mustangs ahead, 12-17. Battling back and forth, at 15-22, Junior Anna Scalf brings them within striking distance with 3 tough serves, moving TCS ahead to 18 but the Mustangs kept going and won this one, 18-25.
Game 2
Cougars begin with the lead in game 2. Again some great volleys back and forth kept everyone on their toes. Seeing the girls control the pass and set up a play was great to see. Freshman Anna Morris put her great serve to use and dropped six in row, including an ace, Cougars 12-9. In addition to their effective coverage, Anna Morris was totally on the entire match, with some amazing passing and tough saves. Freshman Alyssa Briggs did not let her long day at AAC track meet slow her down one bit. She excelled with key court coverage and spot on passing, continuously being in the right place at the right time. The Cougars had some troubles getting the serve back and were down 14-17. Junior Olivia Robertson put away 3 serves including an ace, tying up the game. Olivia too, was incredibly consistent with her passing, returning steady shots back into the Mustang court and saving some balls that were tight on the net. Cougar serving continued its consistency. Junior Adair Garrett helped out with her low and tough serves, she put away 2 shots. Senior Erin McNeal, put in two serves in addition to some key court coverage and well placed tight passes to the Mustang back line. Loss of serve but then Anna Morris returns to the service line with her lofty but wiley serve. Backed by the team’s smart passing into the back MSA court, Cougars win this one, 25-21.
Game 3
This round began slowly. Senior Alex Nebel also showed up to play after her participation in the day long track event. Although she was a bit sunburned, it didn’t affect her ability to contribute. She served up 3 in a row and was always in the right spot to “catch” that ball before it hit the court. A great set from Celeste setting up Alyssa for a nice kill was a great part of this set. However, things slowed down and the Cougars lost their momentum and had tough time getting it back in game 3. Lack of communication also hurt the Cougars. Mustangs take the win, 15-25.
Game 4
Olivia gets the game started with 3 serves in row, game tied 5-5. The serve bounce back and forth for a bit and then the Cougars spiraled, falling behind with a long string of tough serves from MSA. A timeout was called with some straightforward words from Coach Tasha. Lady Cougars return to the court inspired and ready to fight for the game. Earning back the serve, Anna Morris puts up some serves that MSA struggled to return, 8 serves to be exact. Lady Cougars cover the court well, moving and talking like a team. Great volleys played out with the Cougars moving exceptionally well together, making smart hits into Mustang territory and covering effectively. Anna Morris also picked up a great dig. Celeste Jeoffroy finished the set with 2 serves, including an ace. Lady Cougars win, 25-19.
Game 5
Cougars started out well with Celeste putting in 2 serves and another ace. Unfortunately, the Cougars were not able to serve long strings this set as they struggled with coverage and communication early on. Sam Scalf had a great dig helping to keep Cougars in the game. But it wasn’t fast enough in this short set, Mustang win 10-15.
In addition to court time and some passing during the varsity game, freshman Hollyn Kershner and Lexie Harrison both had the chance to help out the JV/MS team with some court time prior to the varsity match.
The Lady Cougars travel back to MSA on Tuesday, April 20 for another match up. This match will begin by highlighting our seniors with special recognition at 4:30pm.
