Volleyball Is Definitely a Game of Momentum!
LadyCats Lose 23-25; 15-25; 17-25
September 30, 2009
If you've ever watched a volleyball match, you know how important momentum is and how the momentum can change at the drop of a hat! Especially, when you are playing an opponent who happens to be the reigning district champion; who happens to have a very talented, senior laden team; who happens to have defeated you earlier in the season and who happens to be a very serious rival! That's exactly what happened last night at the LadyCats gym. In the first game the big "Mo" (momentum) went early to the Bryson Cowgirls and the LadyCats had a tough time getting on track.
About midway through the first game with all of the LadyCats scratching and clawing for every single ball sent over the net, the tide turned and the LadyCats started getting two or three points and holding the Cowgirls to only a single point. You could visibly see the momentum move from the Cowgirls to the LadyCats when the big, consistent 5-6 point deficit was minimized to a slight 2 points at 16-18. The LadyCats came back and tied the game at 22-22 with the big "Mo" now firmly in the hands of the LadyCats and their fans. You could see game one going on the side of the LadyCats, BUT, that's not quite how it ended. The up-top referee blew his whistle; motioned for the LadyCats to serve, which they did and somewhere between that serve and the ball falling flat to the floor on the Cowgirls side for a LadyCat lead, the Bryson coach jumped off the bench and was talking to the courtside official. The up-top referee signaling a point for the LadyCats! But wait!!! The courtside official comes over to the up-top referee and all of a sudden it's a replay with the point taken off the LadyCat scoreboard! What just happened??
Coach Libby sent captain, Tara Evans, to speak with the up-top referee and she was given some lame justification of how this could possibly happen. At publication time I have not had a chance to talk to Coach Libby to find out what the call was, but I do know that in this instance a referee's call totally changed the direction of this game. The momentum suddenly swung back to the Cowgirls and the LadyCats could never quite get that confidence back again. The Cowgirls took the match with a 25-23 first game victory and then followed that up with 25-15 and 25-17 victories in games two and three.
This much I do know. That first game was some of the best volleyball that I have had the privilege of watching this year! Both teams were intense and refused to let a ball hit the floor. One time poor Courtney Bailey took a hard hit off the side of her face and the LadyCats played it out to win the point. Every LadyCat was playing tough in this first game and that was the best net play that I've seen from Darcy Lewelling this entire year. There should be no embarrassment from any of the LadyCats over the tremendous effort that I saw last night. The Cowgirls are really good but I know that our LadyCats will come back with a vengence the next time around and would love to repay the Cowgirls for their homecourt loss.
The next game for the LadyCats will be Saturday morning at 10:00 am in Poolville where the LadyCats will face the Lady Monarchs! This will be a great chance for the LadyCats to bounce back and regain the momentum that was temporarily lost.
