Lady Flyers Turn Their Attention Back to Conference Following First Loss of Season
As James Thompson passed by Sandhills Community College coach Alicia Riggan during Wednesday morning's volleyball practice, the cross country team member gave her some words of encouragement.
"You're still undefeated in my heart," he told her.
The evening before in Charlotte, the No. 8 ranked in NJCAA Division III Lady Flyers dropped to 13-1 on the season after a 25-15, 11-25, 25-12, 24-25 and 13-15 loss to Johnson and Wales University.
One of the team's most important weeks of the season continues with a 6 p.m. home match against Davidson County CC on Thursday, and a double-header, also at home, against Patrick Henry CC at 1 and 3 on Saturday.
"I felt like we couldn't find our groove and that was all-around," Riggan said. "We had 34 kills and 23 hitting errors, and nine service aces and 12 serving errors. That's not what we're used to seeing. There were just a lot of mental mistakes where you really feel we can't blame anybody but ourselves."
In between winning the first and third sets handily, the Flyers were trounced by the Wildcats in the second.
"We came out in the first set and took care of business," Riggan said. "In the second set it looked like we never saw a volleyball before."
The Flyers led 24-23 in the fourth, but were unable to close it out. They fell behind in the fifth, but came back before a couple of untimely service errors helped the Wildcats, now 6-8, prevail in the end.
On a night that the Flyers converted only 10 per cent of their total attacks, Paige Garner led the team with 12 kills and three solo blocks. Abby Wallace was credited with 30 assists. The leaders in digs were Erica Groff with 31, Rachael Mashburn with 17, Brooke Sayers with 16 and Wallace with 15. Sayers also had 10 kills.
"They were extremely scrappy and had some good hitters," Riggan said of the Wildcats, a four-year program. "We knew this was going to be tough competition. I told the girls that everybody is gunning for us. It's not the outcome we wanted, but I'm glad it happened in this situation and not in a conference game. The good news is we're going to see them again on October 17 on our court."
Except for last season when the Flyers won two of three, Davidson (3-6 overall, 2-1 Region X) has held the upper hand throughout most of the 10 year history of the volleyball program. Patrick Henry (3-5, 3-0) is 23-1 in its two seasons in Region X, including two regular season and conference tournament titles.
"They're quiet, but you can tell they are more focused this morning," the coach said of her team's demeanor as they prepared for the upcoming challenges. "And they are a little upset. It's a pride thing. They were 13-0 and somebody just took a game from them. Regrouping and refocusing today is important. I'm kind of happy they are a little upset."
Flyer Notes – A strong corps of Flyer supporters in Charlotte included Courtney Grant of the 2014 and 2015 squads, and former assistant coach Morgan Ridge and Markell Lotharp, a member of the Flyers' 2012 national championship men's basketball team, who are residents of the Charlotte area. "Our fan base and support from our parents has been phenomenal this year," Riggan said. Thursday is Faculty and Staff Night at The Hangar. Each Lady Flyer will be introduced before the match with a faculty or staff member they have selected for having the most impact on them.
C.Bergmann