Searching for their first win of the season, an optimistic Union Bulldogs volleyball team took the court at Fred Delay Gymnasium Tuesday, where they faced Lane College in front of an energized home crowd.
After their round-robin tournament this past weekend at Lee University, the team looked to rebound at home off a struggling Lane College team that has not won all season.
“It’s time to be on our home court with our home fans,” McKenna Carter, junior public relations major said. “It’s a different feeling when you are on our court.”
Even though the tournament last weekend was not the best start to the season, the team was challenged with tough competition that will strengthen their performance in future games.
Another challenge the team faces is their third coaching change in the last four seasons. The changes have not been ideal for building stability, but the team said they could not be more excited to play for their new coach, Darrin McClure.
“Over the years we’ve had a lot of coaching changes and ups and downs as a team,” Carter said. “Coming into this year we have an awesome new coach, we love him and we think he’s a perfect fit for our team, so we really want to play for him because he has such confidence in us.”
The opening of Tuesday’s game featured Union President, Dr. Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver, showcasing a perfect ceremonial first serve.
With every point scored, there was energy and encouragement from both teammates and coaches. The team needed to get off to a fast start and that is exactly what they did, winning the first set 25-3. The second set ended with the Bulldogs winning 25-8.
After a short break that included an open competition for fans to serve volleyballs to win prizes, the third set began. In the third set, the Bulldogs closed out the Lane Dragons 25-5 to complete the three set sweep and claim their first victory of the season.
Casi Neff led the team in kills with 12, while Hannah Huguley led in assists with 23.
“I think playing at home was a big difference for us,” Coach McClure said. “[The girls] handled themselves well and played consistent…from the start they played with good emotion.”
“The expectation is to prove to ourselves what we know our level of play can be, and what we are capable of,” said Carter. “Since we have [Coach McClure,] the expectations are a lot higher than the last few years.”
Even though the team has gotten off to a slow start to begin the 2015 season, this win goes a long way toward building confidence and sending the team in a more positive direction as they approach the start of conference play.
