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Inconsistency plagues Sikeston in straight set loss to Jackson
SIKESTON -- The Sikeston Lady Bulldogs volleyball team has fallen into an unwanted pattern of late.
They take on their opponent as well as themselves.
Sikeston's play fluctuated for most of the night which led to a straight-set loss to visiting Jackson 26-24 and 25-12 Tuesday at the Sikeston Field House.
"We're just working on trying to be consistent. That's our deal," Sikeston head coach Steve Beydler said. "I just have to keep reminding myself that we're young and inexperienced and we're not there yet."
Sikeston, who finished the SEMO Dig for Life tournament 1-3-1 over the weekend, was led in kills by Esther Chinwuko's seven. Setter Lauren Beydler finished with 14 assists and one kill. Sadera Williams and Olivia Nash each had two kills and one block.
The Lady Bulldogs (2-8-1) started their night with good fortune. They gained an 8-2 lead and had Jackson on their heels.
A timeout by Jackson head coach Tracy Robinson would bring an end to that.
Jackson quickly tied it at 10-10 after their break and again at 17-all before taking their first lead of the set at 18-17.
After falling behind by three, Sikeston rallied to tie it at 22 and again at 24. A serve receive error and a Jackson serve that clipped the net and fell between Sikeston's defense ended the first set in Jackson's favor.
"Against Jackson that's an incredible set," said Beydler. "I can't be unhappy with anything that occurred there."
Robinson was pleased to see her team retaliate after their slow start.
"There was a lot of hustle and a lot of desire," Robinson said about Jackson's first set comeback. "They overcame some frustration. That's a good turning point for us."
Certainly most of that frustration stems from a grueling part of Jackson's schedule of late.
The Lady Indians (6-4) have had one day off since Friday and are fresh from an appearance in the Dig for Life Classic at the Show Me Center in Cape as well as a regular season game against Park Hills Monday. Jackson finished the tournament 3-1-1 and have played seven of their 10 total games in four days.
"We've had one day off so we've had a tough schedule so far," said Robinson. "It was a nice turnaround."
Following their first set win, Jackson took control. They scored the set's first four points and eventually extended that lead to 17-8. The Lady Indians took advantage of Sikeston's inconsistent play on serve receive and passing while also shooting down their chances to score around the net.
"We have a lot of height and a lot of girls that can jump well," Robinson said. "When you have that combination you can really put up a good block. Our defense played great and our serving is really tough. When we put it all together it's amazing."
Sikeston began reeling once Jackson was firmly ahead.
"We go into the next set and we start looking like 'the other team'," Beydler said. "Serve receive fell apart and our passes are going over or into the net. We were playing reaction ball almost that whole set."
Sikeston hosts Scott City on Thursday with junior varsity starting at 6 p.m.
"Inconsistency is our worst enemy and we're working on that," Beydler said. "Every night I see a little bit more progression. We want to be where we need to be at the end of the season. When district time comes, we want to be there and we're not there yet."