Spring Break
Volleyball loses two C-USA games
Sean Labar
Issue date: 9/30/08 Section: Sports
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The beginning of the year opened a lot of eyes for Pirate volleyball fans, as they tied the record for the best start to a season in team history.
After facing two key losses this weekend, ECU must stay in a positive mindset and revert back to the hard team play that highlighted their first five wins.
UAB handed ECU its first conference loss of the season Friday night with a 3-2 victory. Memphis then beat ECU 3-1, Sunday afternoon. The losses dropped ECU's record to 11-7 overall and 1-2 in Conference USA.
Head Coach Chris Rushing accredited the losses this weekend to a young team and a lack of finishing.
"We're just not a very experienced team and we just have to learn how to finish," said Rushing. "We have to have the confidence and strength to know that we can close games out."
Rushing made it clear that the team needs to develop that niche and gain the experience to compete, especially within the conference.
"Wins come with experience," he said. "You hate it because you have to wait for that experience, and want to win now."
Against UAB, ECU won the second and third sets, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead headed into the fourth. The Blazers recaptured the momentum however, taking the fourth set 25-19 and then clinching the match with a 19-17 win in the final set.
The fifth set between UAB and ECU went back-and-forth and the Pirates even had match point when up 14-13, but UAB took away that opportunity and needed three match points of its own before sealing the win.
ECU never really recovered from Friday night's heartbreaker, losing the first two sets and eventually falling to Memphis, 3-1, on Sunday. Stephanie Turner had 12 kills and nine digs against Memphis, while lone senior Trish Monroe added 10 digs for the defense.
The Pirates lost some key contributors from last year's team. They have nine freshman and sophomores, and only one senior on the current roster.
Though ECU was hit with two crucial losses over the weekend, the morale and overall character of the team seemed to stay high. After the games, the players smiled and stuck around to sign autographs for fans.
Junior Katie Prast says that staying positive will be a focal point in getting the team back on track.
"I try to motivate my teammates and get everyone positive," said Prast.
Now facing a three-game losing streak, ECU will try to improve its record when it travels to Southern Miss for another important conference game on Friday.
This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.com.
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