It is a difficult thing for a volleyball team to have three
of its top players sidelined with injuries, as it did for Tuesday night’s (Oct.
6) match at Peoria Liberty.
But the Gators still had Hope. And Makena. And two Kristens.
And two Emmas. And Shannon. And Alyna. And Cierra. And Caroline. And Grace. And
Alexis. And Trinity. And Kate.
Xavier has plenty of depth, and it showed in this match.
Xavier squeaked by in the opening game (25-22), fell in the second (22-25) and
rallied to win games 3 (25-22) and 4 (25-13) to win the match.
Senior outside hitter Khalia Lanier (ankle) and senior
setter Callie Jones (finger) were out as they had been in recent matches,
including the Nike tournament in Phoenix over the weekend. This time, it was
sophomore outside hitter Lanie Wagner who was added to the list with a sore
knee. It is uncertain when the players will return to action.
Xavier and Liberty battled back and forth most of the night, with a few of the games delayed as officials used a towel to remove water from a leaky roof that had dripped onto the court.
The Gators took turns making key plays.
"They (Liberty) did a really good job against us, but
fortunately we were able to come out on top,’’ said Xavier coach Lamar-Renee
Bryant.
The coach said that senior libero Kristen Largay kept the
Gators in the match with her aggressive defense all over the floor.
Bryant also gave credit to Alyna Draper, a sophomore, freshman
Shannon Shields, junior Cierra Flood, and junior Makena Patterson. Junior Grace
Morrison also came up with some big kills.
Freshman Trinity Cavanaugh, recently called up from the
junior varsity to fortify the lineup, had some excellent serves in Game 4. She
was in the right place at the right time.
“She had great service. You can see her confidence starting
to build,’’ Bryant said.
Xavier (19-5) returns to its Activity Center home floor on
Thursday night (Oct. 8) against Mesa Red Mountain.
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