There is
physical fatigue and mental fatigue, and both contributed to Xavier Prep’s 3-2
volleyball loss to visiting Scottsdale Chaparral on Wednesday night (Sept. 18),
dropping the Gators from the unbeaten ranks at 13-1.
Scores for
the match (Chaparral listed first): 25-22, 26-24, 25-27, 11-25, 15-8.
Xavier had
played a five-set match against visiting Tempe Corona del Sol the night before,
on Tuesday (Sept. 17) and defeated the Aztecs 3-2.
The Gators
were back in the Activity Center against Chaparral and played very much like a
tired team, especially in the first two games. The scores were close, but
Chaparral (8-4) had the upper hand most of the way.
Xavier
somehow avoided the sweep in the third game, and scored a surprisingly easy win
in the fourth.
After a 3-3
tie early in the finale (15 points wins), Chaparral took control with four
straight points and grabbed a 10-4 lead shortly thereafter. Once the Firebirds
reached double digits, a setback appeared inevitable for the Gators.
“We put
ourselves in a bad situation,’’ said Xavier coach Lamar-Renee Bryant.
She added
that the downward spiral had just as much to do with the players’ mental state
as the physical, if not more so.
“Some of our
leaders decided to pick and choose when they would play, and you can’t have
that. There is mental and physical fatigue, so we have to be demanding of
ourselves and we didn’t do it.’’
The team was
due to leave for Las Vegas after school on Thursday (Sept. 19) and will play in
the annual Durango Classic at several high schools in that area. Xavier is the
No. 8 overall seed and will play in Pool 8 on Court 2 at Las Vegas’ Coronado
High.
Three other
teams from southern California are in Xavier’s pool – Long Beach Poly, Rancho
Cucamonga and St. Lucy’s Priory. Games will run from 1-6 p.m. on Friday (Sept.
20) with full bracket play on Saturday (Sept. 21).
As the
Xavier bus winds its way toward Nevada, some of the players will nod off. Others
might listen to music. Perhaps it would be a good opportunity to forget about
the Chaparral match?
No way, said
Bryant.
“We need to
remember this,’’ she said. “It’s all about effort, and if we don’t change our
effort, the same thing is going to happen.’’
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