Varsity Vollleyball plays Atlanta Jewish Academy for first time
The Lady Cougars met up with the Atlanta Jewish Academy Jaguars on Thursday evening for some fun on the volleyball court. It was the first match between the Cougars and Jaguars and it was an exciting 90+ minute adventure.
Set 1 started off slow. Cougars won the serve. Although the Cougars had great serving in this set (and the overall match), they had difficulty keeping the serve. The Jaguars struggled with their serving, keeping the Cougars in the game and allowing the score to remain a tight contest. Cougar errors allowed the first set to go to AJA, 21-25.
Lady Cougars enter set 2 with some steam and Emily Daugherty starts the team off with 5 serves in addition to strong court coverage and cat-like reflexes on the front line. It was apparent the Lady Cougars were hungry for the win as the communication and smart ball handling was very evident. Brandy Michelle Finnell placed many smart balls in open Jaguar court space. Erin McNeal came off the bench to cover the backcourt, adding strength to serve receive as well as 4 consecutive serves. Julia Baumohl helped up the score with her serving prowess. In the end, their determination came through in this set, 25-22.
They take the court strong for set 3. The team as a whole served very well for the entire match but began to struggle with covering the court and again with holding on to the serve. Emily continued to be a force to be reckoned with, being in the right place at the right time, with great ball handling ability. Natalia Hoeve showed off her passing strength, in addition to serving under pressure. Brandy Michelle directed a number of well-placed missile like returns into the Jaguar court, earning back the serve. Tracy Li came off the bench and provided targeted serving skill. Emily comes off the court with an injury, Jordan McGuffey quickly fills the spot without missing a beat adding coverage on the front line. However, the Jaguars efficiency at using all three hits every time won out. The Jaguars take this one, 17-25.
Set 4, the fire is back and ladies come out pumped and ready to go. Anna Scalf starts the set off with 4 awesome serves, backed up by the amazing Lady Cougars, their communication and coverage in full effect. Brandy Michelle keeps that strong spin on her targeted passes into Jaguar court, earning back the serve for the Cougars. Alecta Feely plays her game on net, covering short balls. Bethany Lingle puts on her serving hat and knocks out 8 strong serves for the Cougars which are supported by the fast feet and smart court coverage of the entire team. Julia puts the icing on the cake with 3 serves and Erin serves point 25, TCS wins that one, 25-17.
Number 5 – remember this is a 15 point set. The two teams trade serves, and the game is point to point, though Cougars are in the lead. The Lady Cougars volley the ball well, but lose the momentum and the lead at point 10. The Panther server puts the power on and stands strong for 6 serves, moving the lead toward the Jaguars. While the Cougars played well staying in the game, they struggled to get the serve back. Julia provided 2 more strong serves, but the Jaguars take it with a final score of 12-15.
The Lady Cougars fought hard, played well and showed heart in this match. They demonstrated their ability to come back and battle to stay in each game and the overall match. We are proud of their accomplishments. Go Cougars!They take on Fulton Science Academy this evening at 5pm, at FSA. Come out and cheer them on!
