This past weekend, Union’s volleyball team traveled to the University of West Georgia for the South Region Crossover tournament.
Eleven teams from the Sunshine State Conference faced 11 teams from the Gulf Coast Conference.
For the first match on Friday, Union played Lynn University. The Bulldogs won the third set, forcing a fourth, but were unable to maintain their momentum. They lost 1-3.
The second game on Friday, Union faced Saint Leo University. The Bulldogs lost 3-0.
On Saturday, the Lady Bulldogs confronted Nova Southeastern University. They managed to hold Nova off, claiming victory for two sets, but Nova took the next two, forcing a fifth match. Union fought hard and the final game was evenly matched until late in the set, when the Lions scored three consecutive times, pushing them into the lead. In the end, the Bulldogs fell 2-3.
Abby Schebel, freshman nursing major, led the team in the first game on Friday with nine kills. Overall, she feels positive about the tournament.
“I think that this weekend overall was good because we got to play other teams from a different conference and get experience playing teams of other skill levels,” she said. “Overall, I think that this weekend we learned what we need to work on to improve the outcomes of our games. We need to focus on little improvements before we can focus on the big picture.”
Hannah Huguley, junior social work major, thinks that the tournament showed the team what it can work on.
“Before our next game, we hope to improve our mental game. If we can focus on the little things, I think the big things will improve as well,” she said.
The Lady Bulldogs experimented with their lineup, which Schebel and Huguley agree was greatly advantageous for the team.
“The best part of the tournament was seeing our team’s versatility as we tried a new line up and saw some positive results,” Huguley said.
Next, Union will face Lee University Oct. 20 at 6 p.m.
