The Lady Tiger volleyball team fell to the Pleasant Grove Hawks Tuesday in Tiger Center. After taking the game into five sets, they lost the match in the fifth set 15-12. 

With the student section packed to the top and the cheers louder than ever, the Lady Tigers felt the support from their home fans. 

“It’s different because we usually don’t get a crowd like that unless it’s a playoff game,” senior right side hitter Lauren Allred said. “All the student sections going back and forth doing their cheers really gets you excited to be there.”

The Lady Tigers began preparing for this game weeks in advance, starting practices in late July, but they also began to prepare themselves mentally. 

“To mentally prepare, we kind of just take time to be together as a team. We get off our phones and focus on the task at hand together,” sophomore setter Kailyn Williams said. “Physically, we go hard. Practices are tough, but only because Coach [Melissa] Hardy wants what’s best for us.”

It was a close game throughout the entire night. With PG taking an early lead in the first set 15-7, the Tigers began to close the gap toward the end, but it wasn’t enough. PG took the first set 25-21. 

The Lady Tigers took the second set by an 11-point margin, winning 25-14. The third set was a close one, but the Tigers came out on top with a score of 25-21. 

Needing one more set to win the match, the Lady Tigers fought for the win but were overtaken by the Hawks 25-23. With the sets tied 2-2, the teams went into the fifth set to play to 15. The Lady Tigers had a solid lead, but the win slipped away as the Lady Hawks took the deciding set 15-12.

“Overall, we have the talent to be a great team,” Williams said. “We just need to keep working hard and working together as a team like we know we can, and we will be set.”

The Lady Tigers will play again Aug. 27-28 at Mesquite Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas.