West Side Christian downed by
West Side Christian opened its volleyball season Tuesday against Taylor at the Warrior Center. The Lady Tigers, who went 21-7 last year and advanced to the 1A State Tournament, downed the Lady Warriors 25-17, 25-15 and 25-23.
Taylor won the battle at the net and also took advantage of some opening-night errors and communication issues by the Lady Warriors.
“The biggest difference is they hit the ball and we didn’t hit the ball because we couldn’t make good passes,” said West Side coach Shelby Jones, who said those mistakes can be fixed.
“There’s going to be lots of passing in the next few practices. I can promise you that.”
West Side rallied from a 16-11 deficit in Game 3. Trailing 20-18, the Lady Warriors’ Camille McKnight spiked a kill at the net before Carley Bain served back-to-back aces for a 21-20 advantage.
Miscommunication in the front court by West Side gave Taylor a point to tie the game. The Lady Warriors would take a 23-22 lead before an error tied it. Taylor’s Kadence Curry, a 6-foot senior, roofed a block at the net for a point and the match ended on an error in the net by West Side.
West Side led 10-6 in Game 1 but the Lady Tigers went on a run, scoring 12-of-13 points during a stretch.
In Game 2, the Lady Warriors jumped out to a 7-2 lead. Taylor rallied and led 12-11 before West Side’s Vivian Conley served up three aces in a row. The Lady Tigers answered with a 14-1 run to end the game with Ashlyn Clark serving for seven straight points.
The Lady Warriors’ preseason preparation was slowed by court issues. West Side’s gym floor had to be redone due to water under the court. Jones admitted the situation didn’t help but it couldn’t be blamed for some of the mistakes.
Of starting the season against such a tough opponent, the coach said,
“I think we handled it well but I think we can handle it a lot better than we did. Our passing was my biggest disappointment. It was terrible. And our communication.”
As for bright spots, Jones pointed to the play of Maggie Ragan.
“She was just everywhere she needed to be. She stepped up. She’s not a hitter but she hit the ball tonight.”
The Lady Warriors are scheduled to play Garrett Memorial in Hope on Aug. 26.