California Lutheran University’s Regals volleyball team suffered a loss against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens in three sets this past Friday. The final scores were 15-25, 25-23, 23-25 and 20-25.
Sophomore middle blocker Tarin Rueckert said Friday’s match-up did not go as the team had planned.
“I think it had our ups and downs. There’s definitely some good rallies, good plays, but obviously didn’t come together,” Rueckert said.
Rueckert said that communication on the court is important for the team to maintain.
“Probably just talking more on the court, we do a great job at sometimes and that’s when really you can see us all blend together but when we don’t talk it kinda falls apart,” Rueckert said.
Junior middle blocker Alex Hayes said she could improve and focus more when pressure arises.
“I think I did okay, not my best but it’s those pressure situations where you know, gotta get my head into it a little more,” Hayes said.
Hayes said her in-game routine of taking time to herself allows her to regain focus and forget about the old plays that occurred.
“I think more in the game, definitely just taking a breath when I have that chance to step on the sidelines and be with my team for a second… Just taking that deep breath and forgetting the last points and focusing on the next really helps me,” Hayes said.
Fifth-year middle blocker Kira Mortensen said short-term memory is needed to get back in the winning mindset after a loss.
“I like to just forget it happened. Obviously it’s important, but if I think about a loss too much then we can’t really prepare for another win, so tomorrow’s all that I’m thinking about right now,” Mortensen said.
Mortensen, who also leads the nation in blocks per set according to NCAA College Women’s Volleyball DIII Stats, said she wants to continue being consistent in that stat line of hers.
“I wanna keep that stat, I wanna stay number one, so … I think it’s kind of a good anxiety for me, every game I’m like ‘okay, I need to get blocks,’ but that’s not a bad thing because getting blocks is good for my team,” Mortensen said.
Mortensen said the team will continue to encourage and support each other in order to keep the team spirit up, even when in a close match.
“I mean dancing is kind of like our motto. We don’t want anybody to know if we’re losing or not. Even if we’re down, we’re still trying to stay up by dancing, the bench is trying to hype us up by dancing, so I think that’s helpful,” Mortensen said.
On Saturday, the Regals won their road match against the Occidental College Tigers in four sets. Tonight the Regals are set to host the Caltech Beavers at 7 p.m. in Gilbert Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
