NMMI Sports Press
The Lady Colt Varsity Volleyball team had their three-match winning streak snapped Thursday night at the Godfrey Athletic Center by the undefeated Gateway Christian Lady Warriors. Set scores were 25-13, 25-13 and 25-12.
NMMI head coach Chantale Riddle praised her opponent and hopes to keep playing Gateway and turn it into a competitive local rivalry.
“They’re a very solid team, all over the court,” she said. “They have good passing, good defense, good setting, good swinging. They are very controlled and don’t commit many errors. I think they are important to keep on our schedule, a good rivalry, and everyone is loud and excited.”
Gateway, featuring several kids that play club ball for Bronco head coach Shelby Forchtner, made it difficult to score and block all night, especially senior outside hitter MJ Stephens, who had a plethora of kills.
“We’re not really used to someone that can get that high and hit everywhere,” said Riddle. “So we spent our entire practice yesterday preparing for her, but it’s not the same as actually going up against her in a game.”
For the Lady Colts, senior outside hitter Olive Amechi brought aggressive service and absolutely crushed several balls from the left side, but missed more as the match went on.
“She’s still working on her confidence and we’re a little inconsistent with our setting, which makes it more difficult for her, but everyday she’s getting better,” Riddle said. “We will be doing a lot of work on our hitting while we have some time off.”
Riddle said defense is probably the team’s strongest attribute at the moment, led by senior libero Ashlynn Irish.
“I think Ashlynn controls a big part of that, which helps the team a lot,” she said. “Today, we got all the balls up, we just didn’t score on the other end. So right now, it’s our defense, but that changes weekly.”
Confidence was a big sticking point for Riddle after the last match, a 3-1 win over Hondo Valley on Tuesday.
“Today we weren’t braking, but definitely letting off the gas,” she said. “Confidence keeps rising, but I feel like we could’ve fought a little harder, but it’s an improvement from the last time we face them. With a team like that, you can’t back off, you can’t hand them points with errors. You have to keep pushing.”
The Lady Colts have a little time off before their next match on Oct. 10 at Tatum. Then they’ll have another week off before district play begins.