Look no further than Starkville to find the inspiration behind the first win of the season for West Lowndes’ volleyball team.
Coach Ashley Clark took her Panthers to Mississippi State’s match Friday night against Mississippi Valley State and there they saw what comprised a successful squad.
The Bulldogs communicated, moved their feet and played excellent team volleyball to sweep Valley. And it wasn’t just in the winning team that West Lowndes’ players saw the light.
“Some of the mistakes that Valley made, they realized they do,” Clark said.
The Panthers traveled to Columbus High for their first match after watching the Bulldogs romp, and in the Falcons’ gym they pulled off an encore.
That sloppy footwork and miscommunication were scarcely found on West Lowndes’ side of the court, but they afflicted Columbus extensively.
And just like the one they saw at the Newell-Grissom Building, the Panthers pulled off a sweep of the Falcons to get that elusive first win.
The match got a little bit closer with each set after West Lowndes took the first set 25-12, but the Falcons never seriously threatened. They dropped the second set 25-16, and the Panthers closed out the match with a 25-18 third set.
“I’m proud of the improvement,” Columbus coach Sherell Drake said. “Typically the score’s a little bit higher, and we do a little bit better, but overall I am very proud of my players.”
The result put both teams at 1-3 this season.
Columbus had constant trouble keeping the ball in play, whether it was serving out of bounds, miscommunication on returns or simple mishits.
“We didn’t use a lot of control tonight in getting the balls over,” Drake said. “We didn’t talk to each other a lot.”
One such loss of control came when Columbus took a rare lead — the Falcons started off the first set up 8-7.
A soft return from a Falcon grazed the bottom of the scoreboard hanging above midcourt — an automatic point for West Lowndes. It wasn’t the only shot from the Columbus side to hit the scoreboard, either.
“The scoreboard often gets in the way,” Drake said. “It’s a little low, and it does hinder us sometimes. We just have to get around that obstacle as well.”
That point tied the score and kick-started a West Lowndes run that didn’t end until the score was 16-8 in the Panthers’ favor. It didn’t take long for West Lowndes to close out the set.
Things looked hopeful for Columbus when it started both the second and third set by winning the first two points, but neither time did it amount to much for the Falcons. In the second set, Columbus quickly turned that 2-0 lead into a 12-4 deficit. In the third, a 4-2 advantage went to pieces when West Lowndes won eight straight points.
The Falcons battled within a single point twice in the third set, but on the first attempt to tie it up, Makayla Reives served into the net. On the second, Nitirah Barry did the same, giving West Lowndes an 18-16 lead. The Panthers capitalized, winning three straight points to take control of the set and quickly finish off the match.
Even in the loss, Drake said, Reives, Barry, Ke’Asha Gipson and Kinnedy Johnson were “definitely four standouts” for the Falcons, who next play Thursday at home against Saltillo.
Meanwhile, West Lowndes has a week off before its next match, Tuesday at home against Amory.
And luckily for the Panthers, Mississippi State plays this weekend.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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Columbus' Makayla Reives (11) sets up a teammate during a volleyball game Tuesday. Photo by: Garrick Hodge/Dispatch Staff
