The Belen High School Eagles volleyball team fought hard in their match against St. Pius last week, but took the defeat on their home court.
BELEN — It was a difficult loss on Thursday, Oct. 14, night at Belen High School when the Eagles took on the St. Pius Sartans on their home court. Belen fought hard, but took the defeat 3-0.
The Eagles are yet to pull down a victory this season, but the prize gets closer and closer as coach Victoria Spragg works to improve this young team.
The first set of the night went fairly quickly, with the Sartans coming hot out of the gate. The Eagles seemingly had no answer for the dominant play of Gabriela Perea, who leads the Sartans in aces, digs and assists, or Alyssa Portees’s height and reach at the net. She leads the team in kills and blocks.
The second set saw the Eagles begin to respond. Kaitlin Lopez and Maesyn Lopez both turned their games up a notch and showed why they are team leaders, grabbing multiple blocks and kills. The stat line shows this was the team’s worst set of the night, but on the court, the Eagles were finally warmed up.
The third set brought all the action and excitement the score suggests. The Eagles ended up losing the set 25-23, but they came within a point of extending the match to another set and keeping their hopes of victory alive. After two tough losing sets, the team continued to fight as hard as they could, and their numbers and momentum only grew.
Though there were bright spots to the night, ultimately, the Eagles are in a bit of a tailspin this season. They’ve won a total of seven sets in 12 matches, but their last set victory was on Oct. 5 against Valencia. They’ve lost 36 total sets this season.
However, it is worth noting that the Sartans are the top team in the district, standing undefeated in district play. They will look to secure their dominance over the rest of the District 5 teams when they face off against second ranked Grants on Oct. 21.
For the Belen High School Eagles, the road lightens for a bit before ending with a punch. They look to grab their first victory in the season when they take on Grants on Oct. 19, followed by Valencia on the Oct. 21. They will look to grab some notches in the “win” column before ending the season with rematches against Grants on Nov. 4 and St. Pius on Nov. 2.
673
April 19, 2024
