The Hillsdale volleyball team suffered two tough losses this past weekend against conference rivals.
On Friday, the Chargers lost 3-0 at Grand Valley State. Junior Alexis Waugh said that the team wasn’t ready to win.
“We started off pretty slow because we weren’t mentally prepared and convinced we were going to win,” Waugh said.
Senior Lindsay Kostrzewa said that Friday’s game was a rough one.
“We just didn’t click,” Kostrzewa said. “Our synergy with each other was off.”
After Friday’s game, head coach Chris Gravel changed the lineup for Saturday’s game against Ferris State. He put in some different players, including freshmen Kyra Rodi and Briana Herr, and put others in different positions. Gravel said that Saturday’s lineup worked better than Friday’s had, and that it gives the team a better option for future games.
Despite the changes, the Chargers lost to Ferris State 3-0.
Gravel said that the team saw some improvement, which was evident by the three close matches (28-30, 20-25, 23-25).
“I think we should have come out with two wins,” Waugh said. She explained that Saturday was difficult because it felt like they had taken five steps back on Friday and were only able to take four steps forward.
However, these matches pinpointed areas in need of improvement for the team.
“We are definitely ready to have a great week of practice,” Waugh said.
Kostrezewa explained that the team’s focus this week will be on “bettering the ball,” which means making teammates look better after an error. She also said that they are working on “being mentally prepared for anything at any time.”
Waugh said that the team’s practices are harder than their games.
“We take that for granted and play timid,” Waugh said. She noted that the team needs to play games as aggressively as they practice.
Gravel said that the team sometimes lacks a sense of urgency, but that it is in full stride for this weekend.
“We are ready to take out some of our frustration against this week’s teams,” Gravel said.
The team plays three more away games in the next week: Ohio Dominican on Friday, Tiffin on Saturday, and Northwood on Tuesday.
The team has only had one home game during the month of September and Waugh said that the consecutive away games have been hard, especially keeping up with missed classes. “We shouldn’t use it as an excuse though,” she said. “We should be able to perform under any circumstances.”
Gravel said that the team has handled the away games well, but that they will “greatly appreciate coming back.”
The Chargers’ next home volleyball game is scheduled on Oct. 4.
