Lady Eagles get into rhythm
Coosa makes adjustments to pick up a pair of wins.
There were stretches on Tuesday when the Coosa volleyball team, long seen as the leading power in Area 3-AA, struggled to put its opponents away.
But once the Lady Eagles found their rhythm it was difficult for opponents to score against them.
Coosa relied on communication and power play at the net to take down Chattooga 25-20, 25-9 and then Pepperell 25-9, 25-7 at a tri-match at Coosa that saw all three teams play their first official area matches of the season.
Pepperell lost to Chattooga, 25-16, 25-17, in the other match of the night.
Coosa came off a weekend that saw the team compete in the KSA Fall Classic in Orlando, Florida, and head coach Nic Hann admitted it took a while for the team to get it together.
“We had to get our feet under us after a long weekend of traveling, but we finally found our groove,” Hann said. “All in all, it’s a great way to begin area play.”
Kasey Thacker finished with 14 kills and 14 digs while Taylor Roberts led the team with 16 kills and also had eight digs. Debra Barker led the team with 17 digs, while Brinley Smith had 43 assists and recorded her 1,000th career assist against Pepperell in Coosa’s second match of the night.
The only real trouble Coosa (25-3, 2-0 3-AA) appeared to face was when Chattooga’s scrappy style kept the first game close
and until it was tied 1616. Coming out of a timeout, the Lady Eagles took the next four points and eventually took the game.
Hann said the problems early on simply came down to knowing where each teammate was for each point against Chattooga (79, 1-1). But once the Lady Eagles were locked in, neither opponent had a chance. While down 8-9 in the second game, they rallied off 16 straight points to turn the tight contest into a blowout victory.
“When we are talking we move together well, we play together well,” Hann said. “When they start opening their mouths, that’s when we start playing our best.”
The victory against Pepperell was more of the same as Coosa got off to a 20-4 start in the first set. Similar to the Chattooga match, Coosa finished the second game on a run of 13 straight points won. Both steaks came with Smith serving the ball.
“The girls are learning more and more every week how important it is to move around and make sure there is communication,” Hann said. “Obviously these area games are essential, so it is key for us to do the little things.”
Pepperell found more success in its match against Chattooga, but was unable to stay consistent enough to pull out the victory. The Lady Dragons (5-10, 0-2) took a 7-0 lead to begin the second game, but Chattooga clawed its way back and finished on an 8-0 run.
Coach Lee Donahue
said the biggest issues for his team right now are receiving the ball and preventing large runs.
“Our biggest thing right now is consistency,” he said. “You know, we started out the second game in each match well, but we were not able to keep up or take control as it went on.”
Coosa travels to Alabama to play Cedar Bluff and Pisgah on Thursday while Pepperell will play at Unity Christian.