ASHVILLE – Every team goes through it, where they don't have their best stuff.
That was certainly the case for the Lancaster volleyball team on Tuesday, Sept. 1, during its game at Teays Valley. The Golden Gales just couldn’t seem to find any rhythm or gain momentum against the Vikings.
Lancaster fell behind early in the first set and were immediately put on their heels, and Teays Valley took advantage. Even though the Gales fought back in their third set, it wasn't enough as they dropped their Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division opener, 25-19, 25-17, 25-23.
“We had a great week of practice and practiced really hard and felt like we were in a good place,” Lancaster coach Leslie Davenport said. “Defensively, we didn’t connect that first set, and we knew we were going to be up against big blocks, and we talked about getting up and having high hands, and when we did it, we scored. Unfortunately, mentally, we didn’t get to that place where we were able to get over the hump.”
In the second set, Lancaster fell behind early, was able to tie it at 10-10, but from there, the Vikings steadily pulled away. The third set could have gone either way, but what pleased Davenport the most was the fight the Gales showed.
The score was tied 17-17 before the Vikings took the lead for good. The Gales didn’t give up and were able to come back and tie it at 23-23, but the Vikings finished things off with a pair of kills.
“We did a good job in the third set,” Davenport said. “We switched some things around, and we kept fighting to the end. Overall, we missed some crucial serves. We didn’t block well, and that is a lot of heat coming to our defense. We have to take some of that power away to ease up some for our defense. “
Sophomore Bella McKnight led the Gales with 28 assists and 14 digs. Brooklyn Thompson had 14 kills and eight digs, Zoe DeLeon added eight digs and Emily Marshall finished with seven kills.
“We are going to keep grinding at practice, and we will learn and grow from this,” Davenport said. “Some of our key players didn’t have their best game, but I thought we did a good job of adjusting in the third set. It is still early. We have to be able to lock in a little better and understand that we want to set the tempo of the game.”
Lancaster fell to 3-2 overall. The Gales return to action against Groveport at home on Sept. 3.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lancaster volleyball struggles in league opener loss at Teays Valley
Leave a Comment