Squad falls in three-set defeat

OAKLAND — A lack of team effort and strategic passing led the women’s volleyball team to lose to Laney College in Oakland Thursday in straight sets, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22.

Contra Costa College (1-12 overall, 1-11 in the Bay Valley Conference) had difficulty covering the whole court, leaving easy targets for the Eagles (4-14 overall, 3-10 in the BVC) to strike and take the match in three sets.

“We couldn’t run a single play, because our passing wasn’t there,” sophomore middle hitter Emily Hansen said. “We weren’t aggressive.”

The Comets played their last game of the season against College of Marin (5-11 overall, 5-7 in the BVC) at home Tuesday after press time.

Compared to most of the season, where the Comets displayed minimal effort at the beginning of games and became more aggressive toward the end, the first set went well for the Comets as they matched many of Laney’s points and made several kills. The defense could not respond to several of the Eagles’ quick spikes and tips, however, which helped Laney win the set.

“(After) losing their first game, it dampened their mood,” Comet coach Azure’D Nunley said.

Straight into the beginning of the second set of the game, the Comets began playing sloppily on offense and defense.

“When the intensity went down, we started becoming disoriented,” freshman middle hitter LaShara Johnson said. “It was a roller coaster (ride).”

As the Comets began to miss the ball, players began to crowd around their teammates, anticipating strong hits from the Laney offense. The lack of coverage made tipping the ball into empty spots a game-winning strategy for Laney.

“We had a hard time trusting each other in this game,” Hansen said.

During much of the second set, the Comets lacked blocking attempts, which were made by Johnson and middle blocker Efaraima Danao during most of the season. For much of the game, the two players were found huddled around other freshmen players who would hit the ball over the net instead of passing it around.

After losing the second set, the Comets received a wake-up call. The team opened up the third set with strong coverage and fast spikes, throwing off much of the Eagles’ offense and defense.

For the majority of the set, the Comets held the lead until a gap was left uncovered for the Eagles to attack. Soon after, CCC turned back to covering the court in chunks without any attempt to pass. The Eagles won the final set on a series of spikes and tips.

“We should have played together from beginning to end,” Johnson said.

Contact Sam Attal at sattal.advocate@gmail.com

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