For The Tribune
Neither Seymour volleyball coach Angie Lucas nor Hauser coach Jeff Case said their teams displayed the level of intensity and consistency they were looking for during Monday’s match in Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium.
The Owls overcame a sluggish performance to win 25-19, 26-24, 25-17.
“I felt like we were very, very passive in our play. The effort was not there tonight, and that’s got to improve,” Lucas said. “We talk to the girls every day about getting better every time you step out onto the court. We took a step back. Even though we got a win, I’m very disappointed.”
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
The Owls scored the first three points in the first set, then increased their lead to 5-1 on an ace from Emily Corcoran.
Seymour held an 11-5 lead on a kill by Jessica Blevins, and were on top 17-8 when the Jets rallied for five straight points and close to 17-14 on a kill by Brea Metz.
Hauser closed to 19-18 and trailed 21-19 before the Owls scored the final four points with set point coming on a kill by Lauren Fleetwood.
Hauser (9-2) scored three points in a row twice in the second set, and the Owls also had two three-point rallies.
“(Metz) is a very good player and they are a very good team,” Lucas said of the Jets, who are ranked No. 11 in Class 1A. “They missed some serves and that helped us out. Of course we missed some serves too.”
Metz, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, was 39-for-42 with 15 kills and 7 of 8 with an ace in serving.
“We played a good team,” Case said. “They play real good defense so it’s good for us to see that. I’m not happy with our energy. We kind of let the game be bigger than we were. We picked it up in that second set and really worked hard.”
The second set was close throughout with the scored tied 14 times.
The Jets held a 24-23 lead following a kill by Tannyr Davis before the Owls rallied to take a one-point lead on a kill by Addie Rudge, then scored set point on a Hauser passing error.
Seymour held a 7-5 advantage in the third set before increasing it lead to 11-6, then 17-11 on a kill by Rudge.
The closest the Jets came after that was 21-16 before the Owls finished strong with the final two points coming on a kill by Rudge, and match point on a Hauser passing error.
The Owls were 82-for-96 with 36 kills in attacks with Rudge and Fleetwood each having eight kills. Fleetwood was the leading server with 16-17-2.
Lucas said the Owls (11-8) are going to have to come out sharper during Thursday’s match at Southport.
“I just felt we were a step behind,” she said. “We weren’t moving our feet, we were reaching for balls, and we weren’t talking or communicating. It was a real step backwards in my eyes, so we’ve got to continue to work on it.”