Samantha Meyers
Published: Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The PJC volleyball team stimulated the crowd Sept. 4 with its first home game win against Faulkner University. The one-hour match was nothing short of domination from the team, winning the match in just three games. Although it was a win for the Pirates, it is an extremely new team with only two returning players, and several minor mistakes to fix.
“I was glad that we were able to play everyone, and I was happy with the execution we portrayed, but we just need to keep with concentration on the game,” Head Coach Pete Pena said.
The PJC starters were Jessica Guidry, Haley Forrester, Kelsi New, Beth Olgetree, Andrea Wilkinson, and Dayne Ramsey. PJC jumped into the game with the first point made by Olgetree. Faulkner did not give off a strong impression in the opening. After PJC scored 10 consecutive points, Forrester lightly tapped the ball out of bounds, and PJC gave up the ball. The PJC team carried each other with powerful effort in a battle of the spikes to win the first game 25-13.
After switching sides, Pirates got a feel of exhilaration with a power spike from Leah Davis. The PJC team kept up with a heavy lead, letting Faulkner have a taste of the gym floor. Faulkner kicked into gear with a gain of several points, but Coach Pena yelled, “too big of a gap, tighten up!” PJC snapped into focus. After winning 25-11 in the second set, the team began to look weary.
Faulkner seemed warmed up by the third set, with a great first point scored, leaving the ball unanswered by PJC. Even though Faulkner University was not winning, they grabbed a few extra points in the beginning of the third game. PJC’s Jessica Long hit the ball with a bang leaving Faulkner to stare, unable to even attempt a return. No doubt the team was sweating with their long sleeved jerseys, but they were definitely playing well. Kali Pringle showed off her height when she barely jumped, and blocked successfully. With only two points left needed to win the game, Haley Forrester had a commanding finish and brought the volleyball team to victory 25-17.
After the game, Kelsi New and Jessica Long said, “We could have played better.”