MacKenzie Grose of North Union celebrates after the Wildcats collect a point against Marion Harding during a volleyball match on Thursday. The Lady Cats swept the Prexies in three sets toimprove their record to 7-10 on the season.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
––––
Sports teams spend a lot of time together. Long hours in the gym working on their individual skills help improve the abilities of the team.
Hours are also spent on the road riding in buses taking the team to and from games.
All of this time together creates bonds with teammates, much like that of a family.
That was the conversation that North Union head volleyball coach Peg Curts had with her Lady Cats before they took the court against Marion Harding on Thursday.
The conversation seemed to pay dividends as NU swept the Prexies in three sets to win their seventh match of the season.
“We talked about what it is like to be a member of a team,” said Curts. “What they felt their characteristics were as a team, because we had a little break-down the other night.
“We focused on that yesterday in practice and they definitely came out and showed each other that they were more than a team… they are actually a family.”
The Cats had a battle on their hands during the opening set as each team swapped points to a stalemate until the 16th point.
NU’s one-point lead quickly turned into a three-point edge.
Harding was not able to overcome the gap and the set went into the books when a Darian Thompson hit from the back row caught the top of the net and rolled over to win the set, 25-22.
“I think they are finally learning that when they are all working together and when they are all ‘on’ for the night and communicating well, our play is so much better,” said Curts. “That is what we saw tonight.”
Marion Harding grabbed the early lead in set two and held it through the seventh point.
The Cats made up some ground and took an 8-7 lead.
The Prexies continued to fight back and tied it up at 10-10.
The back-and-forth nation continued until the final points of the game. The Cats took a 20-19 lead and never looked back as they clamed set two, 25-20.
“I think they did step it up a notch and played a really good game tonight,” said Curts. “Hopefully, we can continue to ride that wave and not crash down again.”
With only a set between the Cats and victory, North Union continued its style of play during set three. The match continued to stay tight with Marion Harding holding a one-point lead around the halfway point of the set.
Kaitlin O’Connors’ serve tied the game and was followed by Journey Blevins’ block that kept the game deadlocked.
Two ace serves by Blevins expanded the lead to 21-18 for North Union. The Lady Cats never looked back on their way to a 25-18 set and match victory.
With the triumph, Curts hopes the good times keep coming for the Lady Cats.
“We have played well against other teams and were still not winners,” she said. “I certainly hope that a positive vibe is going to help us as we continue.”