Struggles in maintaining consistency hurt the Lehman Lobos volleyball team in a 25-18, 25-14, 25-22 district loss to the Anderson Trojans Tuesday at the Lobo Den.
Lehman (3-12, 1-7) drops its seventh straight district match in a row as the midpoint of the schedule nears. Despite the adversity, Lobo head coach Karen Young lauded the team’s ability to compete during the early part of district play.
“We’re in games. And that’s a good thing for us, Young said. “That’s new territory and that’s something we’ve got to learn to handle and take advantage of, and be consistent.”
“We were kind of anticipating one thing, instead of reading,” Young said. “That’s one thing we’re working on is reading the opposite hitter and being able to play the defense according to that.”
Slow starts by Lehman allowed Anderson to secure early leads in the first two frames, forcing the Lobos to play catch-up the rest of the way.
Young said the Lobos tend to “figure things out along the way” during a match, often leading to the team taking “too long” to adjust to opposition. Anderson’s ability to score kills off of tipped balls at the net was also an issue the Lobos struggled to control.
“We were kind of anticipating one thing, instead of reading,” Young said. “That’s one thing we’re working on is reading the opposite hitter and being able to play the defense according to that.”
The Lobos’ luck changed early in the third frame when they leapt out to a quick 4-1 lead. Anderson, however, powered its way for a 17-5 run, building a sizable 18-9 advantage.
But the Lobos fought right back, guided by the play of Trinity Simmons, Kaylee Jackson and Isabella Mantilla. The group spearheaded a 12-3 Lobo run, tying the score at 21-21.
Key adjustments was working around Anderson’s block and “taking what they give us,” Young said. Preventing Anderson from tallying points off of tips also led to third frame success, too.
Young also lauded Jackson and Simmons, who came in “emotionally under control” and found what was available on the court.
“They put it together to cover the tip,” Young said. “The tip was killing us at the beginning. Anderson played well on that. We have to handle those adjustments in play.”
Simmons led the team with six kills, while Jackson and Mantilla finished with five.
