Category | Sports

Volleyball struggles in weekend matches

Published on September 29, 2009 by John Morbitzer

KSU Volleyball’s (7-6, 2-4) fast start to the season has slowed with a five-game losing streak in matches against tough conference opponents.

“At this level you can’t linger on, it’s back to back. You have to put together two good nights,” head coach Karen Weatherington said.

The Owls trailed to begin all sets with ETSU Friday, Sept. 18 and struggled to find a rhythm offensively

“(ETSU) are a little slower paced team, they like to be more methodical, slow the game down, wipe the floor, things like that,” said Weatherington. “Some of us don’t respond well to that at times, but when we could use it to our advantage we could get momentum on our side.”

That momentum was needed in the fourth set, where KSU rallied from a seven-point deficit to win 25-21. That set forced a fifth and decisive set, as both teams stayed competitive.

In the fifth set, KSU had match point at 14-13, but could not finish, and allowed ETSU to fight back and win the match, 3 sets to 2.

“I don’t think we played well, but we competed well. We did a lot of stuff on the fly, and made changes that were not normal. I was happy with what we did, just didn’t come out on the right side,” said Weatherington.

After a heart-breaking loss Friday night, the Owls welcomed Campbell to the Convocation Center Saturday Sept. 19, to salvage the weekend. However, the Camels came out on top 3 sets to 1.

“We struggled passing the ball effectively against Campbell’s serve,” said Weatherington.

KSU dropped the first two sets, rallying to take the third, before losing decisively in the fourth 25-10. The fourth set was the worst of the season for the Owls with a -.036-attack percentage.

Sabrita Gulley had another strong offensive performance with 21 kills in the match. Asjia Stokes added 18 kills of her own. Both players recorded double-doubles along with Rachel Albright, who had 36 assists and 17 digs.

“We carried over some of the slow start through the week of practice. We came out with a little lack of intensity and we saw that. So I tell them that’s unacceptable, and in this game every point is precious,” said Weatherington.

Following the conference losses, KSU took on the Georgia State Panthers, and while taking their first ever set from GSU in the second, fell 3 sets to 1.

The Owls rallied to come within one point of GSU in the first set, but a Panthers kill on set point was the deciding factor. In the second set KSU was down 23-19, but numerous key blocks lead the Owls to rally and take the set 25-23. Set three saw a 10-5 lead from the Owls, but they couldn’t hang on, dropping the set after a 21-21 tie, and also losing in the fourth to end the match.

“We are very happy that Georgia State was willing to host. Georgia State has been a class act through this ordeal,” Weatherington stated concerning the change in venue due to the heavy rains in Cobb County.

The Owls traveled to Nashville Sept. 25 and 26 for two conference matches against Belmont and Lipscomb but could not break the losing streak.

The Owls surprised Belmont by taking the first two sets 21-25 and 16-25, but the Bruins came back to win the final three sets and take the match.

The Owls fell behind in the first set 8-1, but the team fought back to take the set and carried the momentum into the second. The nine-point victory in the second set matched the second-largest margin in a set in the season. KSU struggled to win the next three sets and could not put Belmont away, losing 3 sets to 2.

“Belmont has traditionally been one of the toughest teams in the A-Sun, so it’s encouraging that we were able to compete with them,” said Weatherington. “But there is a difference between competing and winning, and we have to learn to fight to make that difference.”

Staying in Nashville the Owls took on the Lipscomb Bisons, but could not win a set and lost their fifth straight match in straight sets, 3-0.

“Lipscomb could turn out to be the class of the A-Sun this year,” said Weatherington. “They are a very solid team and presented a lot of challenges for us on the court today.”

KSU struggled through the first set, and it carried over through the rest of the match. Although the Owls fought to tie 13-13 in the second set, Lipscomb finished with a 5-0 run that KSU could not overcome. The Bisons then took the lead in the third and finished the match with a 25-18 win to continue the losing skid.

The team has a week of practice to regroup and attempt to stop the losing streak before they host North Florida in the Convocation Center Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.