Pisgah volleyball sweeps Tuscola
Oct. 6—Pisgah's volleyball team swept Tuesday night's match against Tuscola, the Lady Bears' second victory over the Mountaineers this season.
Tuscola took away one set from Pisgah in the initial County Clash and made the first set Tuesday night close, although Pisgah finally pulled it out 25-22.
"That first set was tight," said Pisgah head coach Katie O'Connor. "We didn't come out with as much momentum as I would have liked, but overall we played really great."
The Lady Bears bounced back from a close set No. 1 and scored set wins of 25-16 and 25-12 to win the match.
"After that first set, we reeled them in, and I wanted to stress to them that we have to create opportunities for high-energy moments. We wanted to be more aggressive with our hitters. I'm really proud of the way we played."
The win over rival Tuscola is a big confidence boost for Pisgah, who was coming off back-to-back losses to Mountain 7 rivals Franklin and West Henderson.
"We've had our ups and downs, but we're really starting to click. I'm been proud of how we've come together. We've been focusing on our energy on the court, being positive, and communicating with each other," O'Connor said. "Some of the girls have had to get out of their comfort zones, but we're starting to see we can compete with teams like West and Franklin, so I think it's starting to make a difference."
Although the Lady Bears fell to West Henderson 3-2, O'Connor said even losses hold unseen victories.
"That was the first time Pisgah had taken a set off of West since 2014. It was not the outcome we wanted, but it shows our potential," she said.
O'Connor said the team's focus has been playing with energy and bringing out momentum.
"You can have all the talent but if you can't utilize that talent with lots of high energy you don't always get the outcome you want. We've been honing in on that," she said.
Up next is East Henderson (2-16, 0-10 in Mountain 7) on Oct. 5 and then Pisgah closes the season against North Henderson (15-11, 8-3) on Oct. 9 at home.
The match against North is big: the Lady Knights are in third in the Mountain 7 Conference standings, right ahead of Pisgah, and shut out the Lady Bears 3-0 earlier this season.
"We almost took the first set off them. We were all working together," O'Connor said. "Our focus has been on our mental game. We have to come in with confidence. We'll see big swings, but we have to bounce back and focus on our game. We can compete with anyone. It comes down to having that mindset and confidence and coming out with high energy."
