MORRISTOWN, TN – Walters State battled for five sets against Roane State on Tuesday evening but could not put the finishing touches on the match, falling 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 22-25, 25-15, 18-16).
With the loss, Walters State falls to 0-4 on the season with three of the losses coming in five set matches.
"I just think we don't know how to fight yet," Walters State coach Megan Blaylock said. "I don't know what it's going to take, but we have to learn how to close out and finish a game. That's going to be the vocal point for the rest of the season. We just have to finish. I think we just get complacent and so we just need to work on fighting all the way to the end."
While it's not the start that Blaylock wanted to the season, it could be a wakeup call for her team and benefit them down the road.
"I hope it is (a wakeup call)," Blaylock said. "I hope that by the end of the season we look back at this as a learning opportunity and I hope that we grow and correct the mistakes we made tonight moving forward."
As for standouts in the match, Blaylock was quick to note Hannah Freeman and her efforts all throughout the match.
"Hannah Freeman played really hard tonight," Blaylock said. "It's going to take a couple more of her teammates getting that energy that she brings off. I think that once a couple of them get comfortable, it'll happen."
As has been the case during this early season, the Lady Senators got off to a slow start in the first set as they fell behind early. However, down 12-9, Walters State rallied and went on a 6-0 run to take a 15-12 lead. The rally was led by Raenah Barton with an ace and two Jordan Moore kills.
The lead grew from there and got to 18-15 before Roane State took control back, scoring the last five points of the set to take it 25-20.
In set two, Walters State looked like a completely different team as they got out to a 9-3 lead, forcing a Roane State timeout. During that run, Walters State had two kills and a block from Mackenzie Sweigart and a couple blocks from Moore.
While Roane State tried to fight back in the set, the Lady Senators would not stop rolling as the lead never got below three and peaked at 24-16. Roane State made the set close in the end, but Walters State closed it out with a 25-20 victory.
Set three was more of the same from Walters State as they scored the first four points of the set and led 9-3 again, forcing a Roane State timeout.
This time, Roane State fought their way all the way back in the lead and led 20-17 before the Lady Senators responded, tying the set at 20 on a Freeman ace. Roane State scored the next point, but Walters State took command with five of the next six points to go up 2-1 in the match.
For the Lady Senators, the energy was high in both sets, leading to more controlled play on the court.
"Volleyball is an energy game, and I think that we have to really focus on holding the energy and keeping it with us for the entire game," Blaylock said.
The energy from Walters State slipped in set number four as Roane State scored the first three points of the set and never trailed on their way to a 25-15 victory to tie the match.
In the deciding set, Roane State came out firing with the first four points before Walters State responded with five straight. The Lady Senators were led on the run by a Freeman ace and points from Moore.
Walters State would then break out to a 10-7 lead and looked to be in control. However, Roane State put up one last effort and tied the match at 12 before earning match point. The
Lady Senators would fight it off with a kill from Moore and then go up 16-15 and have a match point of their own. Walters State could not capitalize though, and Roane State served the match out for an 18-16 victory.
Up Next:
Walters State will be back in action on Thursday when they take on Montreat College JV at home. That match is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
"I hope that Wednesday in practice we can correct some things in practice offensively and with our block," Blaylock said. "I think we just have to keep playing. We started about two weeks later than everyone else, and I think it is showing. We are about two weeks behind in our development. I think in the long run it'll be ok, but it doesn't feel great right now."
Rob Harvey
Walters State Community College
Sports Information Director
Cell: (423) 779-8880
Email: sportsinfo@ws.edu
Website: www.ws.edu/athletics