The Houston volleyball team didn’t play well following a three-day holiday weekend.
The Lady Tigers had four serving errors and 15 hitting errors in a 25-11, 25-12 loss Tuesday night at Summersville.
The JV Lady Tigers were defeated 25-7, 25-9.
It was the first loss of the season for Houston (2-1), which easily beat Licking in last week’s season opener and downed Cuba 25-17, 25-18 last Thursday.
HHS coach Skye Carrasquillo held practice on Labor Day. But with school dismissed for the holiday, she said her players appeared to be out of their normal routine and played that way.
“It’s hard to come back after a long holiday weekend and be mentally prepared. We tried to do it Monday at practice,” Carrasquillo said. “You have to be ready to step on the court and play. We weren’t.”
Desiree Venable had a team-high 14 kills for the Lady Tigers. Amber Sillyman and Alexa Ichord had 12 apiece.
Senior Lauren Hoover led Houston with 10 digs. Venable added eight.
Carrasquillo was particularly disappointed in her team’s serving, which she considers a strength. She said the team averaged two serving errors in the previous two matches.
Ichord had the team’s lone ace.
“Those mistakes just can’t happen,” Carrasquillo said, “especially when you’re trying to catch up from behind.”
On Thursday, Houston erased an early deficit in the opening set en route to a straight sets victory against Cuba inside Hiett Gym.
After falling behind 6-2, the Lady Tigers pulled even at 11-all before scoring eight of the next nine points to take a comfortable lead. Venable had an ace during the rally, and Ichord put down a pair of kills.
Haylee Kell had two aces early in the second set as Houston went ahead 6-1 and was never threatened.
Carrasquillo was hopeful that getting back in the gym and a regular routine will help her team recover from their first loss.
“I know my girls will bounce back from this,” she said. “It’s just understanding that we made a mistake and knowing how to fix it.”