Volleyball falls to Blue Valley in two-set match
The team’s record for the season moves to 7-12
October 8, 2016
The volleyball team lost to Blue Valley on Thursday, Oct. 6 with set scores of 23-25 and 22-25.
The Jaguars had previously won against Blue Valley earlier in the season, and senior defensive specialist Emma Mantel said the game was exciting due to the previous scores.
“You could tell they really wanted to win,” Mantel said. “It was their senior night too, so they definitely wanted to come back and beat us.”
Mantel said that the large Blue Valley student section also added to the heightened energy of the game.
“This game was different because [Blue Valley] had a really big student section, they were really lively and energetic,” Mantel said. “It was super fun, and we play better when things are fast-paced like that.”
Junior middle hitter Abigail Archibong agrees, and said the noise from the student section didn’t serve as a distraction to the players.
“We didn’t let it phase us, we just used that energy to motivate ourselves,” Archibong said. “We kind of fed off of [their energy] to improve throughout the night.”
Mantel thought that the team played well as a whole.
“We played great as a team, it’s one of the best games we’ve played,” Mantel said. “We didn’t make a ton of errors, which was helpful.”
Since the start of the season, Archibong said the team has grown together regardless of grade differences.
“We have a lot of new girls [who are] freshmen and sophomores that haven’t experienced this level of play yet,” Archibong said. “Since the beginning of the season, we’ve gotten acclimated to them, so we know what we’re up against and we’re getting prepared for that in practices.”
Mantel said the team could ultimately improve on “communication and working as a cohesive unit.”
The Jaguars will play St. James Academy away on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
