The Weber State University volleyball team took to the road after a successful first weekend of the season. The Wildcats traveled to Reno, Nev., to participate in the Wolf Pack Invitational.
The Wildcats started off the tournament by facing the host, the University of Nevada, Reno, in a match that lasted three sets. Even though WSU dominated a majority of the statistics, the Wolf Pack pulled out the victory 25-22, 31-29 and 25-20.
Junior outside hitter Audrey Biggs continued her strong start to the season as she led the team with 10 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Rebecca Fuchs added eight kills. On the defensive side, the Wildcats were once again led by freshman middle blocker Megan Bean, who had five blocks, while sophomore setter Whitney Hunt had 28 assists and junior libero McKay Tarbox had 14 digs.
“I get pretty amped when I play,” Biggs said. “Even though I got blocked a few times, I just went out there and kept swinging harder. It’s kind of no fear, because I know that my teammates will back me up.”
After losing the first set, the Wildcats were in prime possession to put themselves back into the match after gaining a 10-1 advantage, which was then expanded to a 20-12 lead. Then the Wolf Pack regrouped and found a way to win that set 31-29.
Head coach Tom Peterson said this match was a steppingstone, even in such a heart-jerking loss. He said he felt the players will move on quickly but not forget the things they must improve if they are to continue winning games.
“We just need to remind ourselves of who we are,” Peterson said. “We have spent too much time and effort to become a good team and players. We can’t let ourselves get distracted by our emotions and performances, either good or bad. It is like a thermostat: Whatever your emotions and performance is set at, that is how you will perform. Sometimes players play hotter or colder (than) what the thermostat is at. We have to have our thermostat high.”
The Wildcats next headed into the match with the University of California, Riverside, hoping to gain back some momentum, but they also fell in three sets to the Highlanders. After dominating most of the stats in the first game, the Wildcats struggled to find a rhythm in the match, losing 25-17, 25-15 and 25-21.
Biggs put on another solid performance, one of the reasons Peterson said she would be an athlete to keep an eye out for as the season progresses. She had eight kills, which brought her total for the tournament to 18, even though the team hit a season-low .045.
“We need to keep working hard and execute,” Peterson said. “We can’t get down because we have lost a few. Even though we have lost a couple times, we are still going out there and giving it all we have. I don’t get as mad if we lose like that.”
The Wildcats played against Grand Canyon University and Illinois State University on Saturday. Coverage of those games will appear in the Wednesday issue of The Signpost and on The Signpost website.
