Women's Volleyball loses tough match to Yavapai
Lady Eagles swept in three games
Ben Pettegrew
Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: Sports
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After the best start in Embry-Riddle volleyball history, the team had fallen into a bit of a slump, losing a number of games but still managing to scrape together the few wins necessary to keep their hopes of a winning season alive. The past week had been especially brutal on the team, having lost four of their last five, including one particularly tough loss to the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Their opponents this time around, the Roughriders of Yavapai Community College, remain one of the program's most familiar rivals. The Eagles came into the match 3-10 against the Roughriders (7-10), so the chance for a little payback in addition to a late season pick-me-up was great motivation.
Unfortunately for the Lady Eagles, they were playing without one of their strongest players, junior outside hitter, Angela Woo, who is out for 2 weeks due to illness. Due to Woo's absence, the team was forced to shift positions, which compounded issues. One player remarked after the match, "The ball seemed to be all over [the court], coming from different people and more different locations than usual. It was a little confusing at times."
The first game of the match picked up quickly, but unfortunately not for the Eagles. Early serving trouble and a particularly staunch Yavapai defense found the Eagles in an 8-12 hole when Coach Meyer called the first timeout of the evening.
The team re-grouped a little after the first break and came out strong. It seemed the break was all the Eagles' front line needed to find their rhythm, as they suddenly exploded against the Roughriders, pounding them mercilessly.
Due to their outstanding play of the Eagle front line, the team managed to stay in the game, closing to within two points before letting the Roughriders slip away, losing the first game 24-30.
The themes of the evening for the Lady Eagles were defensive and serving troubles, buoyed by strong front line play. In the second game, the Eagles managed to get a healthy lead before allowing Yavapai to comeback and tie it at eleven points. From that point onward, it was a slugging match.
Neither team could find the key to pulling away. One side would earn the ball with an incredible offensive play, only to surrender it with a botched serve or a weak defense, and then earn it back again.
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