Entering Saturday night’s game at 5-3, the Puget Sound volleyball team looked focused and confident to play in front of the Logger faithful for the first time this season. Even without fan favorite junior Bri Boyce (Kent, Wash.), it was evident that the Loggers were not going to be denied a victory by the Whitman Missionaries.
The two teams met earlier in the season, resulting in a frustrating loss for the Loggers when the Missionaries took them to a fifth game before winning 3-2. Friday night was a different story.
Looking slightly rusty in the first game, the Loggers hit a meager .079 as a team, but still managed to eek out a 25-23 win.
After some minor adjustments by Loggers’ Coach Mark Massey, the team came out on fire, hitting .50 in the second game, while not allowing the Missionaries a single kill.
Needless to say, when the Loggers play up to their true potential, they will be nearly impossible to beat. With experienced veteran leadership and great depth, the sky is the limit for this team.
Senior Captain Natalie Monro (Eagle, Idaho) feels no different, “We have a really talented team with a lot of depth, so I think we will really go really far this season,” she said.
The third game proved to be a little difficult, but after keeping the pressure on the Missionaries for the entirety of the game, the Loggers were able to complete the three- game sweep, winning 26-24.
The Puget Sound volleyball team did not disappoint in their home opener, and as Monro said, “After losing to them in preseason, it felt great to take them in three last night. It was a great way to start conference play.”
The following night, the women Loggers took the court against the Whitworth Pirates.
The Loggers looked strong after starting off by winning the first two games. However, the Pirates rallied, winning 25-22 and 25-18 in the third and fourth games. In the final game, the Pirates prevailed, winning 15-9.
Yet again, the issue of consistency seemed to be at the forefront of the discussion. Although early in the season, the players all know how important developing this consistency as a unit will be as they continue conference play.
Junior Erika Greene (Sandy, Utah) characterized the team, saying, “We are a great team with more potential than I have ever been a part of before. When we play our game and fulfill that potential consistently, we will be unstoppable.”
The team’s leadership will be helpful in the upcoming stretch and it won’t be too long before this team is firing on all cylinders.
The Logger volleyball team will travel south this coming weekend of Sept. 24 and 25 for games against Linfield and Willamette.