West Henderson’s volleyball team ended a five-game winning streak on Thursday, September 6 after losing to A.C. Reynolds three sets to zero, falling to a 13-2 record.
The team’s national and state rankings were unaffected, however. They still stand at 149th in the country, as well as 6th total in the state and 3rd for 3A in the state.
“I’m kind of bummed [about our loss],” said America Anderson, sophomore and a middle blocker on the team. “…but we can go off of this game and work harder and better off of this. It’s a learning experience.”
Senior and Defensive Specialist Claire Johnson has similar feelings. Johnson said she felt a sense of defeat, but using this loss, she can take feelings of ambition and drive and put them towards their next game, which is against Asheville High on September 11.
Regardless of the loss, the Falcons still had successful aspects in their play, as each set was close between the teams. The first set ended 26-28, the second set was 20-25, and the third set finished 24-26. Anderson said the team was talking well at the net and had some good kills.
“We fought until the end,” Johnson said. “It was a close game, all three sets, so I think we really pushed hard the whole time.”
While the game was close the entire time, the Falcons noticed some aspects of their game that they would like to fix. Johnson said the team should improve on staying in the game more, and also work on their blocks and defense.
Improvement can be supplemented with important takeaways from tough games. Anderson was reminded of an important lesson about perseverance.
“Don’t get bummed after every mistake because it will let the whole team down,” Anderson said. “You should just be strong and be ready for the next play.”
Even though Anderson and Johnson recognized their places of improvement, they also acknowledged what A.C. Reynolds’ team had done particularly well. After their victory, A.C. Reynolds remains undefeated and sits at 10-0.
Anderson noticed that her opponents had been successful at picking up their hits. She also took note of how strong their blocking was.
“Their defense was great,” Johnson said. “Their blocking was really on tonight. I’m excited to play them again.”
By: Graham Grush, Sports Editor
