Box Score Hoping to win a third straight match for the second time this season, the Wayland Baptist Pioneer volleyball team instead was taken down by the University of Texas-Permian Basin on Wednesday in Hutcherson Center, 25-18, 25-23, 25-21.
“They're a lot better than their record indicates,” Wayland coach
Jim Giacomazzi said of the Falcons (8-12). “They play a faster pace of volleyball than we do and higher quality conference teams than we do.”
After never leading in the first set and falling when the Falcons scored the last six points, Wayland (10-12) held the upper-hand much of the way in the next two games. UTPB, however, managed to wrestle away the momentum both times.
“Give them credit. They kept us off balance,” Giacomazzi said. “We were a step off on our blocking. We were getting some quality touches but we didn't penetrate (on blocks) and went up with mushy hands. We were not going up full strength.”
In the second set, Wayland led by as many as three points and held a final edge at 21-20. A kill by
Chelsey Driskill tied it at 22-all, but the Falcons scored two straight on a block and an attack error before putting it away with another block.
The Pioneers appeared to get it rolling in the third set, owning an 8-2 lead on the strength of kills by
Shahala Hawkins and a pair of block assists by Hawkins and
Tania Gomez. But the Falcons slowly made their way back in it, knotting the score at 16. Wayland led just once more after that, and with the score tied at 19 UTPB recorded six of the next eight points to end the match.
“I think our girls now understand the mental toughness that's necessary and won't look at a team's record,” Giacomazzi said. “I believe they will be more mentally prepared when they step on the court and will assume anybody can beat us.”
Driskill ended with a team-high 11 kills as Wayland finished with 36 and a .150 hitting percentage, compared to UTPB's 44 and .252.
Emily Welch paced the Pioneers with 14 digs, followed by
Grecia Rivera and
Jaharys Archilla with 10 each. Hawkins had five block assists and Gomez four as the Pioneers tallied six total blocks.
Natasha Giacomazzi, the reigning Sooner Athletic Conference Setter of the Week, recorded 32 assists.
The Pioneers now prepare to play five straight road matches, the next three against non-conference opponents. WBU will be in Fort Worth on Thursday to take on Texas Wesleyan at 7 p.m. then in Austin on Saturday to meet Huston-Tillotson at 1 p.m. and Dallas Christian at 4 p.m. The Pioneers return to SAC play at Lubbock Christian at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16.
“We're focusing everything we do on Lubbock Christian and Oklahoma Baptist,” Giacomazzi said. “We have an outside chance to get first in the conference and a realistic chance to get second in the conference, but we have to step it up mentally every time we get on the floor.
“As new a team our biggest improvement is going to be mental rather than physical. We have to stay focused for the whole match, and that's my job as coach to help get them mentally prepared.”
(To see photos from the match, click
here.)
