The GPS volleyball has played really well at times this fall while there have been other times where they just did not.
This weekend was one of those times where the second case applied as the Bruisers lost a pair of region matches on Friday before getting swept by Ensworth on Saturday.
The Bruisers are now 21-16 overall and 1-6 in region play following Saturday’s 25-20, 25-18 and 25-17 defeat against the Lady Tigers.
“We are so young and inexperience has really been hurting us as we can’t seem to find a way to dig ourselves out of these big holes,” said GPS coach Alfie Dodd after the last loss to Ensworth.
“Hitting errors were our biggest problem as we had 11 in the second set alone. That in itself is enough to get you beat, but I’m really disappointed in our total effort today. We need some folks to step up, but we’re holding back at times and I get more upset over that than going all out and making a mistake.
“We’re in a tough region. We played well at times today, but we just have to be able to maintain our intensity and have to find a way to finish,” Dodd added.
Enworth is now 5-7 overall and 3-4 in region play. The Lady Tigers have consistently gotten better as the season progressed and that’s what coach Hannah Allison is looking for.
“That was a good one,” she said as players picked up water bottles and cleared away other personal items from the Ensworth bench.
“We’re getting there. We had moments when we played to their style, but when we play our style, we can be pretty good. I liked the way we kept the pressure on them, but I really liked the way Isabella Nunez played today as she had 21 digs and played solid the whole time,” Allison added.
The Bruisers played close in each of the three sets, but simply couldn’t maintain that high level of play toward the end.
GPS had a 3-1 lead in the first set before Ensworth scored four straight points for a 5-3 lead following an ace by Tricia Brown. A kill from Caroline Duke allowed the visitors to take a 7-5 lead and that was as close as the Bruisers would get as that lead swelled to 12-6 and then to 20-13.
A serving error by GPS was the winning point for Ensworth in the first set.
GPS started the second set by scoring four of the first six points, but again, the Lady Tigers battled back. The Bruisers were ahead at 8-5 when coach Allison called a timeout. Whatever the young coach said must have made a difference as her team scored five of the next six points and never trailed again.
Ensworth scored its final two points of the second set on GPS hitting errors.
The only lead for GPS in the third set came at 2-1 following an Ensworth error. GPS then surrendered four straight points for a 5-2 lead and the Bruisers never got any closer than two points the rest of the match.
Reagan Long had eight kills for GPS while Courtlyn Martino had 12 digs.
GPS returns to action on Tuesday as they join McMinn County for a three-way match at Central.
IN OTHER MATCHES Saturday, Baylor remained unbeaten after 31 matches with a 25-15, 25-14, 25-14 win over Harpeth Hall while Sale Creek split a pair of matches in Knoxville, coming out on the short end of a 25-22, 22-25, 26-24 and 25-19 match against Concord Christian Academy before sweeping Grace Christian Academy by scores of 25-17, 25-23 and 25-14.
Sale Creek is now 28-5 overall and will host Soddy Daisy and Silverdale on Monday while Baylor's next match is Tuesday at Signal Mountain
GPS STATS:
Courtlyn Martino – 2 aces, 12 digs
Karly Benefield – 3 digs
Preslee Brooksbank – 6 kills, 2 aces, 4 digs
Emma Moore – 2 kills, 1 ace, 6 digs, 1 block
Charlotte Vance – 3 kills, 1 ace, 3 digs
Hannah Kincer – 3 kills, 1 block
Kendall Crum – 2 kills, 1 block
Reagan Long – 8 kills, 1 dig, 1 block.
BAYLOR STATS:
Gabby Gray – 14 kills, 11 digs, 1 block
Sarah Sumida – 40 assists, 8 digs, 1 ace
Ally Craig – 13 kills, 8 digs
Jane Wilson – 7 kills, 2 blocks
Lilly Turner – 20 digs, 1 assist
Lexie Laurendine – 5 kills
Denver Rogers – 6 digs
Elizabeth Case – 1 ace, 1 Dig.
SALE CREEK STATS VS. CONCORD CHRISTIAN:
Abbey Burton – 13 kills, 11 digs, 3 aces, 3 blocks
Ariana Smith – 7 kills, 22 digs, 1 ace
Bailey Nelson – 5 digs, 15 assists, 3 aces
Madysun Steele – 7 kills, 2 blocks
Gracie Janow – 6 kills, 3 digs, 3 blocks
Jayda Perry – 8 digs, 14 assists, 4 aces
Morgan Weatherford – 1 kill, 20 digs
Tayla Willis – 4 digs, 4 blocks, 1 assist
Sydney Gibson – 1 kill, 1 assist
EmiLee White – 2 digs
Avery Cox – 1 kill, 1 dig.
SALE CREEK STATS VS. GRACE CHRISTIAN:
Abbey Burton – 8 kills, 26 digs, 2 blocks
Ariana Smith – 7 kills, 19 digs, 3 aces, 1 block
Bailey Nelson –7 digs, 18 assists, 3 aces
Madysun Steele – 6 kills, 6 digs, 1 block
Gracie Janow – 7 kills, 3 blocks
Jayda Perry – 2 digs, 1 assist, 1 ace
Morgan Weatherford – 22 digs, 1 ace
Tayla Willis – 1 kill, 3 digs
Sydney Gibson – 2 kills, 2 digs
Karah Carson -- 1 dig
Avery Cox – 2 digs
(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)