Playing its first home match nearly brought the Houston volleyball team its first victory.
Behind the strong net play of senior Alyssa Hayes, the Lady Tigers rallied to force a third set Tuesday night against Summersville before losing 25-17, 20-25, 25-15 inside Hiett Gymnasium.
“It was a tough loss but it was good to win one set,” first-year HHS coach Loran Richardson said. “We can build on that.”
Houston freshman Tara Stanton hits the ball in the first set Tuesday night.
Hayes led the Lady Tigers (0-7) with six kills and five blocks. Freshman Janae Huff had a team-high eight assists. Huff and Sevanna Rowland had two aces apiece. Emily Shea led HHS with 14 digs.
After losing the first set, Houston trailed 11-8 in the second when Hayes took over. She had three blocks during a 5-0 run that gave HHS a lead it would not relinquish.
“She really stepped up and shut down the other team,” Richardson said. “Her energy helped bring up her teammates as well. If we can maintain that excitement even when things aren’t going so well, we will be in more ballgames.”
Summersville closed the gap to 20-18 with 4-1 rally before the Lady Tigers answered with four straight points. Hayes had consecutive kills to conclude the spurt and give Houston a 24-18 edge.
After two straight Summersville points, the Lady Tigers won their first set of the season when sophomore Kennedy Campbell blocked a kill attempt.
The momentum didn’t carry over, though, as Summersville scored 13 of the first 16 points of the third set and cruised to the win.
“I’m proud of the improvement they’ve made but we have a ways to go,” Richardson said. “We need to cut down on our errors and focus on passing and serving.”
First-year HHS volleyball coach Loran Richardson talks to her team between sets during the 2016′-17 season.