Yes, they lost in three again, but the difference between Friday night's match and Saturday morning's was, well, like night and day for the Wayland Baptist volleyball team.
"Overall, I was very pleased with today's effort and focus. Today if we made a mistake it was not the end of the world. We recovered quickly and we were able to contribute to the next play," Wayland coach
Jim Giacomazzi said after the Pioneers fell to Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Sooner Athletic Conference action, 25-19, 33-31, 25-22.
Wayland (3-6, 3-2 SAC) was knocked out of first place in the conference standings Friday with a 25-18, 25-18, 25-7 loss to Texas Wesleyan. While their effort against the Rams was rather uninspired, the Pioneers gave a much heartier challenge to the Lady Lions, who are ranked the equivalent of 27
th in the NAIA.
"Our defense was much better and we hit with intelligence," Giacomazzi said.
The marathon, 64-point second game was impressive for both teams.
Wayland held an 11-6 lead then fell behind 23-19 only to rally and eventually fight off seven game-points. The Pioneers even had a couple of game-points of their own before the Lady Lions ended it on a WBU attack error and a SAGU block.
Wayland didn't throw in the towel after the tough loss, rallying in the third set for a 14-14 tie. The Pioneers were still within one, 22-21, but SAGU was able to finish it off and improve its record to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the SAC.
Neither team lit the court on fire. Wayland hit .091 compared to SAGU's .101.
Amber Daniel finished with 17 kills and 14 digs while
Mallorie Ellis had 15 and 15.
Jordan Breding led four double-digit diggers with 21.
"Individually, Jordan showed much better body movement and her serve-receive was much better," Giacomazzi said.
"Each time we get on the floor and play a match, Amber is seeing more of the court and making better choices, and Mallorie is showing much more diversity in her shots and is having more kills and fewer hitting errors."
Jessica Nguyen produced 33 assists.Â
"Defensively, we are doing a better job of collaborating. Our next emphasis will be on better technique and movement with our arms and legs," Giacomazzi said.
After five straight home matches to open conference, Wayland now has five in a row on the road, starting with a non-league outing against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Thursday then John Brown on Friday.
The Pioneers' next home outing is an exhibition against WBU alums at 7 p.m. Sept. 19.
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