Varsity Volleyball travels to meet up with Brandon Hall

The Lady Cougars met up with the Brandon Hall Panthers yesterday afternoon. The set began slowly with the Cougars trailing the Panthers. Passing errors and dropped balls seemed to be leading the set. Then the light switch came on and the Cougars got their game on. Brandy Michelle nailed 4 straight serves to initiate the catch-up. Emily played the net well, protecting Brandy’s serve. The tide started to change as the Cougars came within striking distance. They showed off their ability to volley the ball and set up the play. Emily served 6 points to continue to bring them closer to the Panthers. After fighting to make a comeback, the game was tied 23 – 23. Esther subs in to provide strength to their passing game with great serve receive. Together, they could not pull it off. It was so close, Panthers take it 24-26.

Set 2 again begins slowly. Serving struggles a bit. Anna provided some serving stability for the Cougars in this set. Despite the lack of serving success and holding on to the ball, the Lady Cougars showed off some great defense in this set. Alecta took a super dig in the backcourt with ease. Brandy, Emily, and Bethany all passed nicely and sent balls into well-placed locations on the Panther court but this set was not for the Cougars, it ended 16-25.

Set 3 starts with strong serving from Emily to perfectly empty Panther court space. The ladies again show off strong volleying to keep the ball alive and retain the serve. Emily serves up some points helping the Cougars return to this set. Erin came from the bench to provide passing skill in the backcourt. She also served consistently for the team in this match with 3 consecutive serves, adding to the point total, causing panic for the Panthers. Brandy offered some great plays into the Panther court to earn the point. Even with all the team’s efforts, it, unfortunately, wasn’t enough, this set ends 20-25.

While it is frustrating to not get a win in this match, these ladies continue to run their offense. We as coaches are proud of where they are at and how far they have come. They routinely get 2-3 touches when the ball is in their possession. It is no longer just a game of bumping it across the net to the opponent, they are actively working to set up plays. This is a huge progression in their game and we look forward to watching them begin to complete these plays with success in the coming matches. The Lady Cougars travel to meet up with AASD on Thursday at 4:30pm. Go Cougars!