David Sheets reporter
The Pitt State volleyball team unfortunately suffered two road defeats over this past week. The Gorillas lost 1-3 against the Washburn Ichabods on Thursday, Oct. 3. They were then swept by the Emporia State Hornets the very next day. These outcomes put Pitt State in a three-game losing streak as they continue their stretch of conference matches, a stretch which will last for the remainder of the regular season.
“We struggled in our offense over this past weekend, particularly with taking advantage of scoring opportunities. Both teams had more kills than us even though we had even attempts so we were having the same opportunities, but we weren’t getting the kills,” said head coach, Jen Gomez. “We have to engage our offense more and terminate the ball when we can versus giving the other team easy scoring opportunities.”
These matches did not end without any positive takeaways, however. Pitt State showed life and fought back in the 3rd set against Washburn, where they would win their sole set of the weekend by a score of 28-26 with a whopping twenty-one kills. Sophomore, Jesa Wallace, and junior, Josie McCroskey, led both teams in assists and digs throughout the match, with Wallace notching twenty-six assists and McCroskey having an almost unreal-sounding thirty-three digs. Along with them, sophomore Aliyah Johnson recorded a season high thirteen kills against Washburn. Although the team as a whole may have struggled, senior, Ivy Fink, was still able to earn her third double-double of the season with sixteen digs and twelve kills during the match against the Hornets. While this is a great achievement, Fink appears to have some personal scrutiny about her performance.
“I feel like I could’ve done more to help us win. Yes, I did get a double-double, but I think there are some things I could’ve done better to lead us to a victory. The stats aren’t very reliable when it comes to showing passing, which is something I definitely want to work on for our next match. Blocking is another key area I aim to focus on. I think getting more touches on the ball is a goal of mine for Tuesday,” said Fink.
The results over the week place the Gorillas at a season record of 6-8 with a 1-3 record when playing teams in the MIAA. The Pitt State volleyball team will have three more matches this upcoming week, two of which being at home and one being on the road. On Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Gorillas will head to Wichita to play the Newman Jets at 6 p.m. During the weekend, the Gorillas will head back home to play against the Central Missouri Mules on Friday, Oct. 11, at 6 p.m. and the Missouri Southern State Lions the following day at 2 p.m. Their matches will remain at the John Lance Arena for the remainder of Oct., all of which being MIAA in-conference play.
