SEGUIN, Texas — Seguin volleyball coach Ashley Farris saw Thursday night’s loss to New Braunfels as a reminder of how closely the Matadors’ defense and offense are connected.
The Matadors fell 3-0 to the Unicorns, struggling to consistently slow New Braunfels at the net or turn defensive opportunities into sustained offense.
“Definitely, it was not the strongest defensive night for us,” Farris said. “The defensive errors — we should have had more digs across the board, and that starts with our front line with the block.”
New Braunfels’ setter presented Seguin with one of its biggest challenges, creating separation in the Matadors’ block and giving the Unicorns favorable attacking opportunities. Farris credited that execution while also acknowledging Seguin strayed from portions of its defensive game plan.
Those issues were especially costly early.
Seguin committed a string of errors during the opening portion of the first set, with Farris estimating that the Matadors were responsible for much of the scoring through the first 13 points.
They eventually settled into the match and carried some momentum toward the second set, when Farris felt her team competed better.
But Seguin could never build enough on that improvement to change the direction of the match.
The Matadors finished with 29 kills on 95 attacks while committing 19 attacking errors and hitting .105 as a team. They also recorded 47 digs and seven blocks.
Rebeka Wilke supplied Seguin’s most efficient offensive performance, putting down 10 kills on 19 swings with only two errors for a .421 hitting percentage. Savannah Oaks added four kills on seven attempts, while Elli Anderson recorded eight kills and Annyn Houston finished with six.
Seguin also tried adjusting its rotation as the match progressed. Farris used defensive specialists to give several hitters additional rest and allow them to concentrate on producing at the net.
“We need you better at the net, obviously offensively and defensively,” Farris said of the message to her hitters.
The changes did not produce the turnaround Seguin needed in the third set, but Farris viewed the experimentation as part of the Matadors’ effort to find combinations capable of improving both their passing and net play.
Rather than dwelling on the sweep, Seguin will have a quick opportunity to address what went wrong. The Matadors are scheduled to return to practice Friday morning, with their defensive execution and commitment to the game plan providing immediate areas of emphasis.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t fall our way tonight,” Farris said. “But we’re going to learn from it, come back here first thing in the morning for practice and continue growing.”
Seguin’s four game win streak may be in the rear view mirror, but they can start a new one at Smithson Valley next Tuesday.
Will Smithson Valley still be unbeaten in district play when the Lady Matadors roll into Spring Branch? We’ll have to wait and see.