On Monday, September 11, the RM girls varsity volleyball team hosted the Sherwood Warriors for their first home game of the season. Despite a promising start, the team faltered after failing to convert numerous set points in the second set, eventually falling to their opponents in four sets.
The first set was incredibly close with neither team going on any significant serving runs. Although the Warriors jumped out to an early lead, by the end of the set, the Rockets had closed the gap. With the score tied at 24, the tension in the gym was palpable as both teams fiercely wanted to strike first blood in a match that was looking to be extremely competitive.
Sensing the importance of the next point, Coach Barber-strunk called a timeout. “The timeout really helped us to calm down and focus on our hitting and strategies,” remembered senior Lisa Yang. Heading back onto the court, the girls played two impeccable points, forcing out errors from the opposing team in order to take the set 26-24.
Starting out the second set, the girls once again fell into an early hole. Yet through great serving and staunch defense, they managed to earn four set points that would give them a comfortable two set lead over the Warriors.
However, the team suddenly started committing sloppy errors, sending three balls flying past the heads of their opponents. “I’m not sure what happened there,” said senior Brooke Richman, “I guess we were already thinking ahead to the third set and lost our concentration.” Slipping up in point after point, they eventually lost the second set 26-28.
After failing in the previous set in such heartbreaking fashion, the girls lost the intensity and confidence that they had exhibited before. “At that point it was like we had already been mentally defeated,” recalled Richman. Unable to regroup, the third set was handed to the Warriors, 16-25.
Unfortunately, the team’s performance continued to deteriorate. Sending ball after ball into the net, the girls gave up the fourth set with little resistance, 13-25.
Coach Barber-strunk pinned the loss on the consistency issues that have plagued the team since the start of the season. “Again, they weren’t able to maintain their level of play across sets and in key points,” she commented. “It’s definitely something that we’re going to have to work on.”
Despite this, she also noted some key takeaways that showed the team’s potential. “There was some great serve receive,” remarked Coach Gretchen, “and they were able to cleanly put away the ball throughout the the first two sets. If they can clean up their consistency, we’ll be a very strong team.”
On Wednesday, the team will look to bounce back at home against another strong opponent, BCC.
Featured photo by Orrin Ni
