From STAFF REPORTS It’s not often a loss can lead to confidence. But that was the case Wednesday for the Marshall girls volleyball program. The Eagles are in a complete rebuilding mode and every time they seem to take one step forward, they also realize there were be plenty of setbacks, even when they play […]
From STAFF REPORTS
It’s not often a loss can lead to confidence.
But that was the case Wednesday for the Marshall girls volleyball program.
The Eagles are in a complete rebuilding mode and every time they seem to take one step forward, they also realize there were be plenty of setbacks, even when they play well.
Such was the case in El Monte’s 25-16, 25-17, 18-25 and 25-13 victory over visiting Marshall in a Mission Valley League contest.
To a player/coach, the Eagles said they played their best volleyball of 2017, and a loss doesn’t mean they didn’t make progress.
Senior outside hitter Samantha James led the way with 16 kills and 11 digs.
Junior outside hitter Risejah Velasco added 10 digs and 7 kills.
And senior middle blocker Allison Moore chipped in with 5 kills and a pair of blocks.
Marshall will host Gabrielino next Wednesday as league play continues.
Quotable:
Marshall coach Sang Lee: “I am super proud of the way we played. That was the best volleyball we played all year, but it won’t show up in the win column. It was a big step forward for this program.”
Marshall senior Samantha James: “We were working as a team and being scrappy. We play better against better teams and our willingness to want to win matched our energy. Players who were struggling made some really good plays today. We realized these players are necessary to our success ” ( she is referring to middle blocker Janelle Lloyd, libero Claire Moats, opposite hitter Kendall Morton)
Marshall junior Risejah Velasco: “We were scrappier than usual. We need to be more consistent with our serving and we can’t be an emotional rollercoaster during the game. When one girl makes a mistake, her negative energy will bring down the other girls. We have to fix that. But once again, that was the best game we had this season, because we were more aggressive than usual.”
