Despite a hard-fought effort, the Lady Tigers volleyball team lost in straight sets to Hallsville on Oct. 4.

Lack of communication led to many unforced errors which contributed to the loss. This translated to problems on the court.

“The team was not as focused as they needed to be,” coach Melissa Trotter-Hardy said. “We didn’t talk to each other, and we had many passing and blocking mistakes which need to be fixed.”

The first set saw the Lady Tigers get off to a sluggish start. Things then seemed to click for the team when they went on an 8-2 run after a timeout call, but the talent of the Lady Cats shone through as they would win the set 25-20.

The competition heated up in the second set as both teams were neck and neck for a majority of the match. However, just as the Tigers took a small lead, unforced errors led to some easy Hallsville points. The Lady Cats would score 12 of the last 13 points to ultimately win the set 25-18.

“We weren’t as smart as we needed to be,” sophomore Kaitlyn Jordan said. “Hallsville was making better decisions than we were which led to them beating us.”

In the third and final set, communication errors and an early deficit plagued the Lady Tigers. Despite a brave attempt, they were unable to dig themselves out of the massive hole and were ousted 25-16.

“We feel as if Hallsville didn’t win the game but more like we lost it,” Jordan said. “We didn’t have enough focus today which costing us.”

Despite the loss, the Lady Tigers hope to use the game as a building block for the future. With only one senior on the varsity team, the young squad seeks to use the performance as a stepping stone instead of letting it get to them.

“This game will definitely be seen as learning experience for us,” sophomore Unique McBride said. “Next year, we’ll have more confidence, and we will have bonded more as a team.”