Sometimes it’s the simple things that get taken for granted.
The Saint Louis University volleyball team has had problems
throughout the season with inconsistent hitting and serving–but
never passing.
At least not until last Friday night when the Memphis Tigers
came to town, with their 12-match winning streak and strong game
plan in tow.
“They knew what our weaknesses were, and they really keyed on
them. They served to our passers and forced us out of our game plan
early on. We just could not get back on track,” said coach Marilyn
Nolen.
The Tigers started the match slow, and the Billikens took
advantage, jumping out to a 10-8 lead, but the Tigers stormed back
with a 5-0 run and never looked back.
“With our scoring system, it is quite difficult to come back
when you consistently give up runs like we did against Memphis,”
Nolen said.
The Tigers took the first game 30-22 and the final two games
30-25 and 30-25, keyed by Hristina Slancheva’s Conference USA
service-ace record-tying feat, totaling eight in the sweep.
The Billikens were paced by Angela Powers’ 14 kills and .500
hitting percentage.
Kayla Kmitta and Alexis Cooley also tallied eight kills a piece,
but it was all for naught in the losing effort.
“Powers, Kmitta and Cooley have really stepped up a lot since
the season started. We were looking for who our big hitters would
be at the beginning of the season, and since then they have shown
that they are really capable of taking the load on their
shoulders,” Nolen said. “We could just not get into our game plan.
I credit them a lot for the way they played us. They pointed out a
weakness, which we have not really had to worry about, and we spent
a good deal of time correcting it in practice this week.”
Cooley has done a great deal of maturing in her short time
playing for the Billikens, which is evident in her block total
(48), propelling her into the top 10 in C-USA, where she holds the
eighth slot.
“I’m really pleased with our middle hitters and the way they’ve
developed. But this whole situation with our passing faltering is
the most stressful thing to happen to us this season. It is
something that we think we have corrected; we hope we have
corrected. Passing is such a fundamental of the sport,” Nolen
said.
Their passing is going to have be solid, and soon, too, with
their looming road trip to Texas to play Houston and Texas
Christian University.
Houston has started the year off slowly, notching a 4-12 overall
record and dropping their first two conference matches of the
season this past weekend, at Tulane and Southern Miss.
They showcase Jaci Gonzalez, who ranks seventh in the conference
in kills, with 4.12 per game.
The Bills game was originally scheduled for 7:30 tomorrow night;
however, due to a time conflict with their women’s soccer game, it
was pushed up to 5 p.m.
From there, the Bills will move on to Fort Worth, to the waiting
Horned Frogs of TCU and their 14-6 record.
“TCU has three players in the top 10 in C-USA in service aces,
and after our recent slip up against Memphis and their service
specialist, this match should be a good test to see how far we have
come,” Nolen said.
TCU, after coming out strong to start, with 14 wins, also
dropped their first two games of the season to Tulane and Southern
Miss, like Houston.
While TCU boasts a record better than that of the Billikens,
looks can be deceiving. The Bills started the season off with three
consecutive out of town tournaments featuring top-tier teams while
the Horned Frogs, on the other hand, have onlyt played regional
teams, like Arkansas-Pine Bluff and St. Mary’s (Ca.), who are solid
but not up to the competitive levels of some of the Billikens’
competitors.
“We scared plenty of people to start this season off. We just
need to get back on track and not fall back,” Nolen said. “With
this frustration, though, comes the intangibles that will make a
great team and great players out of this team.”
Texas Road Trip
Who: Houston Cougars (4-12)
When: Tomorrow, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Houston, Texas
