Women's Volleyball Plays Hard

Their efforts were not rewarded, however, as they lost all three games of their match. "We missed a lot of serves and made a lot of errors," said Head Coach Nicole Ryan.

The first game went quickly as the Lady Corsairs tried their hardest, and even contested the referee on a call. "Out!" screamed multiple players on a close hit that made the difference between a 5:13 or 6:12 lead for Pierce, which the referee eventually seceded to the Corsairs. Despite the persistence shown by the home team, Pierce won with a score of 10:25. Once the teams switched sides it became apparent that there would be a theme of disappointment for the night.

The score was held at a stalemate of five and six points between the two teams, until Santa Monica broke the pattern and gained momentum by making the gap 18-22. However, Pierce with a quick turnaround dampened the excitement by scoring immediately after and making it 18-23. This immediate disappointment was personified as Coach Ryan kicked an out of bounds ball in the air in a fit of playful frustration. Pierce won again at 19-25. "Our second game was better," said Ryan after the match.

The third game saw the most promising effort from the Corsairs, as they held the lead almost from the beginning before they became stuck at eight points and were surpassed by Pierce. There was no lack of heart on the court from the home team as they tried to rally each other from the sidelines as well as the playing area. But there seemed to be no way for them to break the glass ceiling of 14 points, and they lost 14-25.

Unlike most scenarios, once the match had ended there was no yelling or harsh treatment of the team by their coach as she admitted that the team played their hardest, and there wasn't much else she could ask of them. Instead they lined up for the standard handshakes with their opponents and took their loss in stride.