Box Score HOBBS, N.M. –
Jim Giacomazzi learned something about his team here Wednesday evening, even if he didn't necessarily want to.
The Pioneers dug deep and fought off a couple of match points then rallied from two sets down to defeat University of the Southwest (N.M.), 17-25, 17-25, 27-25, 25-21, 15-9.
"We were two points away from losing the match in three," Giacomazzi said. "They went to the edge of the cliff, looked over, and fought their way back."
The Pioneers (4-1) earned their fourth straight win after a very slow start against the Lady Mustangs (2-3), who last year beat Wayland in three in Plainview.
Giacomazzi attributed the early lackluster effort to "road weariness. We found out what can happen when you travel over 100 miles and get off the bus and play three hours later. There were a lot of mistakes on our part."
The coach said the Pioneers committed 16 service errors and 11 reception errors, most of them in the first two sets.
"Both teams made mistakes, and we made a lot at the beginning," he said. "Our hitting percentages were atrocious at every position."
But the match had a couple of bright spots, including the fact the Pioneers continued to battle.
"They never gave up, which was nice to see. We also got more court time. We have a lot of new players, so we need that."
Another positive was that the Pioneers were able to handle a vocal crowd.
"Our communication started getting better," said Giacomazzi, who added that "a lot of our own parents showed up, which was very nice."
The coach said USW has "a good new coach and some good players. They had a nice block. We have to make adjustments."
Statistics were not immediately available.
The teams play a rematch at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30 in Plainview for WBU's home-opener.
For now, the Pioneers leave New Mexico for San Antonio where they will play in the Hotel Indigo at the Alamo Saints Classic, hosted by Our Lady of the Lake University. Wayland's first outing is 3 p.m. Friday against fifth-ranked Lindsey Wilson (Ky.). The tournament will be played at the George Gervin Center, 6944 S Sunbelt Drive.
