Captains Command the Knights-Volleyball
Tuesday night’s volleyball game saw the Captains of Christopher Newport going home victorious at 3 – 0 after a valiant effort from the SVU Knights.
The Game
The first set started well, with both teams battling right up until the end. Christopher Newport managed to pull ahead and close it at 25 – 22. The knights struggled in the second set, starting off with a 3-2 lead, but soon fell behind and lost the set 25 - 12. The third set started as the other two did: the Knights starting strong and even being ahead initially. Unfortunately, they were unable to maintain the momentum and ultimately finished the game losing the set 25 – 15.
The Highlights
Newports’ net line, most noticeably numbers 7-Brianna Sutton, 10-Hannah Miller and 1-Rachel Conway, impressively performed in both offense and defense. On SVUs’ side, numbers 11-Hannah Phillips, 5-Melissa Owen, 9-Claire Houghtaling and 12-Allison Tiegs fought right back with offense at the net.
Special mention goes to SVUs’ number 4-Ofa Mao-Sam Fong, for always seeming to be in the right spot at the right time to dig out a nasty spike.
This is not indicative of all the great players on both teams. These are only the standouts as per the author's opinion in this game.
The Opinion
Aw man, lady Knights, that was kind of heartbreaking to watch. The first set, both teams seemed really even. Then, things just seemed to fall apart in the second and third sets. Possible reasons for this include losing our mental game, or getting tired. Both options would account for the increase in unforced errors in the latter two sets, and both have obvious fixes.
As mentioned in the highlights, Newport's net game was mildly terrifying. Not only did they have some players with cannons for shoulders, they were also spot on in defense, consistently reading our counterattacks and blocking them. This was most noticeable in the third set.
The last big difference in the two teams is also the hardest thing to develop in the ball, and that’s just an understanding of the game. We rarely pulled Newport out of position, while it was common for us to be left with just one person guarding the back court. Also, they just seemed to anticipate the ball better, moving just seconds sooner to be where they needed to be, and displaying greater athleticism getting there.
Overall, I think part of the falling apart came from this just being an early game. There was a lot of good digs, amazing dives, and nasty/sneaky spikes and tips coming from our side, but there were some jitters on the court, some mistakes that hopefully won’t happen later in the season. All things considered, this was a great game against a tough opponent. Way to go Lady Knights!
Disagree with what was said? Want to see some amazing saves for yourself? Watch the whole game online at https://youtu.be/Qx0fMVGLCG8, email the writer at parker.monson@students.svu.edu or check in to "The Conversation" at the Accolade News.
