By Travis Smola
It was a nail biter of a volleyball matchup as Vicksburg took on the Three Rivers Wildcats and put them away in four wild sets on the road.
Vicksburg took the first two sets 25-21 and 25-18 before a packed and rowdy crowd of Vicksburg travelers that made things seem closer to a home game at times. Three Rivers extended things in the third with a 25-18 set. In situations like that, Head Coach Katrina Miller has found herself being even more vocal to the players recently when things get tough.
But that’s all part of practicing what she’s been preaching in practice. “Our team as a whole has been working on being more intense,” Miller said.
She also reminded her team before the fourth set that no one is perfect and “Champions lose sets.” It all seemed to pay off. The Lady Bulldogs found themselves in another dogfight as the early score bounced back and forth with neither team rarely going up by more than one. But eventually the girls buckled down and took control to win the fourth set 25-17.
Miller praised the efforts of senior middle blocker Amy Kosiba and senior outside hitter Grace Welch for their hustle up front all game long. Many Three Rivers plays were knocked down right at the net all night long.
And the girls seem to constantly be redefining what sort of plays can be salvaged. It’s not uncommon to see players like star junior libero Morgan Preston flying across the court saving a ball just inches away from the floor.
The win means the Lady Bulldogs finish with a 22-13-4 overall record and a 7-2 record in the conference.