By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

VERSAILLES — The Lady Tigers fought hard against a 15-1 Coldwater team at home on Sep. 28, but Versailles fell 3-1 in the match.

Versailles won the first set, but couldn’t hold off the Coldwater attack. Head coach Liz McNeilan said once the Lady Cavaliers were able to attack from the middle, they couldn’t stop their momentum.

“Set number one we were able to keep their middles out of their line of attack. They weren’t an option for them. That was definitely our goal. We did that set one and I think we rattled back on that the last couple of sets,” McNeilan said.

Both teams were trading runs in the first set. After Coldwater took a 16-13 lead, Versailles called a timeout. The Lady Tigers then immediately went on a 6-1 run and forced a Coldwater timeout.

It was then the Lady Cavaliers who went on a run to take a 21-19 lead. Back and forth the match went as the teams went point for point and were tied late.

Versailles found the extra gear to take control of the set and won 26-24.

Then the next two sets were all Coldwater. The Lady Cavaliers came out and grabbed an early lead forcing the Lady Tigers to play from behind most of the set.

Once the attack opened up for Coldwater, they were able to move around the Versailles defense and hit the open spots.

The Lady Tigers did have a few runs in them during the second and third set. The defense played with great effort all match long and were rewarded at times by keeping the ball up.

The serving from Versailles also got to Coldwater at times. McNeilan said they were in a rhythm from the serving line and were able to get Coldwater out of system at times. She also said it wasn’t an easy task to do that as Coldwater is a disciplined team. Versailles couldn’t capitalize enough on those opportunities.

“I think our defense is working very, very hard. I think the serving is staying aggressive. If we can capitalize on our offensive game, I think we can make a run here at the end of the season,” McNeilan said.

Coldwater took the second set, 25-14, and the third set, 25-11.

Versailles would play from behind early in the fourth set, but would come back to make it a close game. After being down early, they took an early 12-11 lead. It went back and forth from there for awhile.

McNeilan said players like junior Taylor Wagner and freshman Kiley May had a good game offensively in this one. But, she also said the team is still working on their offensive options and figuring some things on offense.

The Lady Tigers were close to forcing a fifth set, but the Lady Cavaliers went on a 5-1 run to end the fourth set 25-19 and took the win.

Versailles is now 7-8 on the season with a 3-3 conference record. The team has shown signs of improvement from the beginning of the season. McNeilan said the team has been serving the ball better and have been building up their confidence in each other and themselves.

She also said the team wants to continue to learn and get better. They will have some tough games ahead as they play Covington, Shawnee and New Bremen on Sep. 30 on the road. The team is looking forward to the challenges ahead.

“I’m excited for the upcoming schedule. I think it will trial us, it will push us. I hope we can surprise some people and come out and take it from them,” McNeilan said.

They will have those tests and more before the tournament draw takes place on Oct. 8. The games will only help Versailles continue to improve before the postseason begins.

“It’s always a fun time. I always say it’s the second part of the season, it’s a new season. You’re 0-0. We’re excited for it and looking forward to it,” McNeilan said.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]