The Lady Bulldog volleyball team fell 3 sets to 0 to the University of Alabama Huntsville Chargers on Friday night of Union’s Homecoming Weekend. Each set was a battle to the finish with a few long volleys that forced the crowd to its feet. The fans in Fred DeLay gym were full of energy, but, in the end, the Bulldogs could not secure the win.
In the first set, the Lady Bulldogs came out strong and enthusiastic but could never quite catch a lead. It was back and forth at first, but with Union up 15-14, the Chargers gained momentum and went on a 10 point run, bringing the score to 16-24. The Bulldogs fought back with a five-point run of their own, but could not seem to find a groove. UAH won the first set 25-21.
The lady Bulldogs seemed to have more momentum for the duration of the second set, and held a small lead for the first half of the game. UAH caught up and it was back and forth until finally Union had a small run which set them in the lead 24-21, with one point to go to win the game. Unable to take the final point, UAH came back with a 3 point swing, bringing the score to 24-24. Union scored once more, but again was unable to finish the final point.
“The end of [set 2] was a result of us over pursuing what we saw developing on the other side,” head coach Darrin McClure said. “Unfortunately we let that ball drop and it really cost us.”
The Chargers kept the momentum and finished the game out, winning the nail-biter by 27-25.
In the third and final set, Union and UAH went back and forth and the score stayed very close for the first half of the game. When the game leveled out at 10-10, the Chargers found their groove and went on a run, swinging the score to 19-13. Union came back with a four-point run, but it was not enough to get them back in the lead again, and eventually UAH came out on top, with a 25-22 win.
Despite coming up short in several conference games so far, McClure is optimistic about the progress this season and the future of the team.
“Every loss hurts. The UAH loss and the other 11 conference losses do too. We are competitors and we want to win them all,” McClure said. “To the casual fan, it looks like we didn’t make much progress this year. However, I feel we did. The team handled adversity well for a young team. We had players play out of position all year and performed very well. Our league is good and getting better. We will get there. We are getting the players that will help us compete and win in the GSC.”
Abbie Rahn, sophomore elementary education major, said the team needs to work on execution.
“We get so close to winning and we need to just push hard and finish,” said Rahn, who finished the night with seven kills, two aces and one block. “It’s frustrating, but it’s just something we need to work on. Obviously, I want to win. I want to finish out this season on a positive note and with only two games left, I believe we have what it takes to win those games.”
The Lady Bulldogs have two regular season games left. They are scheduled to play Christian Brothers University next on Tuesday, November 7 in the Fred DeLay gymnasium.
