By: Gracie King | Contributing Writer
Last weekend, the South Alabama Women’s Volleyball team traveled to Texas to face the UT Arlington Mavericks and the Texas State Bobcats on the court. The team went 1-1 for the weekend, beating the Mavericks but then losing the Bobcats. Coach Meekes-Rydell still says there were shining moments in the loss. The Jaguars bounced back from losing the first set 25-7 to winning the very next one against Texas State. Ultimately, the Bobcats were able to take the win at home.
Rydell says it “was a great checkpoint for us. We got more comfortable with tooling our blocks which made a major impact. That’s also something that we worked on in practice last week.” This week, coaching staff and players alike are focusing on strengthening their defense, a core part of their typical style of play.
This upcoming Friday, October 25th, the Lady Jags will be hosting the Georgia Southern Eagles and then the Georgia State Panthers the next day on Saturday, October 26th. “We’re really going to dominate. We want revenge this week,” said freshman outside player Hannah Maddux. She says that she wants to work on lining up with her fellow players and reading the opposing offense faster as a player. She is hoping to make an impact on the court equivalent to her performance this past weekend against UT Arlington.
Earlier in the season, the Lady Jags played these two teams with one of them being a loss to Georgia State. It is going to be a physical game as the Panthers focus on physicality. The Lady Jags, however, have been working on preparing to be more a physical threat to their larger opponents.
“It’s going to be a good match up, since we just came off two physical games. I think we’re more prepared for it,” Rydell said of the upcoming matches. The team is looking to start each game more aggressive and at a faster pace, much like the past two matches. They are also looking to strengthen their defense with only one blocker playing.
It is no secret that the team is preparing hard for their upcoming matches. This is demonstrated in the way the players practice. They are focused and ready to win on their home court.
Good luck girls and Go Jags!
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