Cyclones swept by Tigers at home
The struggles continued for the HCHS volleyball team Tuesday night as they hosted the Red Oak Tigers, losing three straight sets (25-16, 26-24, and 25-13).
“We have to be more consistent,” said Cyclone Head Coach Elle Crees. “We are a good volleyball team that just has to play consistently and finish.”
Set one opened with a kill from Tiger Junior Jocelyn O’Neal. The Cyclones were playing catch up all set long, but managed to keep the game close when Crees pulled the team together for a timeout trailing 20-15.
When play resumed, the Tigers went on a 5-1 run to close out set one with the final point coming from Junior Karly Jenkins that landed just out of reach of Cyclone Sophomore Kenzley Bruck.
In set two, the Cyclones got off to a slow start with the first point going to the Tigers after Bruck served the ball off the net. The Cyclones battled back to tie the game at 23, which included two defenders in the back court saving potential Tiger points to keep the ball in play.
“Emercyn [Reischl] has been amazing on the defensive end,” Crees said. “She is learning to read the ball better and is the voice of our team. Ellerie [Nelson] has gotten faster this season and found some good positioning for hard driven balls.”
Unfortunately, the Cyclones couldn’t close out the set, losing a close battle 26-24 and falling to 0-2 on the night.
“I love that they turned it on and battled, even when Red Oak had the set point they battled,” Crees added.
In set three, the Cyclones continued to struggle as O’Neal opened with a kill that was just out of the reach of Nelson. The Tiger offense continued to find openings on the floor and eventually they led 17-5. The final point of the set came when O’Neal’s serve deflected off Cyclone Junior Hope Preston out of bounds, handing the Cyclones its 13th loss of the season, moving them to 8-13 on the season.
They return to action for a Saturday morning tournament at Nevada High School where they will be one of 16 schools competing. The Cyclones are led by Macy Mueller with 312 assists, Aubrey Schwieso with 102 kills, Preston with 21 blocks, and Reischl with 142 digs and 25 serve aces.
“We just need to be aggressive with everything that we do,” Crees said. “We need to practice that way and keep holding each other to the highest expectation to perform that way.”