The Philomath High School boys volleyball team dropped its second straight match on the road Monday night in a 25-17, 25-21, 25-19 loss at Western Christian.
Against the Pioneers, a Class 2A private school out of Salem, Philomath took the floor with a lineup that needed to be adjusted.
“We started a bit out of sorts with some players playing new positions, since we didn’t have our libero playing due to injury,” PHS coach Helen Bennett said about the opening set. “We had more mistakes than usual, from everyone, which only increased the level of frustration. It was definitely our worst set of the season.”
Bennett said the team performed better in the second set following “an attitude check because our mental state was dictating our play.”
She added, “The boys responded positively in the second set, playing more to what they’re capable of, and it was a much more competitive match. I was also pleased to get other players some playing time.”
Bennett mentioned freshman middle blocker Braeden Colvin as a standout athlete in the match, saying that he “had his best match blocking with three solos and probably at least 15 block touches.”
The Warriors had mixed results at the service line with 11 aces but also 11 missed serves.
“We’ll keep working in practice to improve our consistency of play,” Bennett said.
The Warriors fall to 2-2 overall, 1-2 in Special District 3. The team will try to get back in the win column at 6 p.m. Wednesday with a home match against Cascade.
Western Christian 3, Philomath 0
Monday, April 6, at Western Christian School, Salem
Team 1 2 3 Philomath (2-2, 1-2) 17 21 19 Western Christian (4-3, 1-2) 25 25 25