Heading into last week, Kosciusko volleyball coach Lauren Peresich felt good about her young team’s chances of picking up the program’s first win.
The Lady Whippets accomplished that and more.
Kosciusko defeated Louisville in five sets with scores of 25-19, 16-25, 27-29, 25-10 and 15-7. Just two days later, they earned their second win of the year with another five-set victory. The Lady Whippets fell behind to Winston Academy early by scores of 25-9, 25-17, but they rattled off three straight wins to clinch the match, tallying scores of 25-19, 25-15 and 15-9 in the process.
“I think that they really needed it,” Peresich said. “They needed that boost because they did not realize how much progress that have made. They’ve only been playing by for three months, and the people we have been playing have been playing for a couple years.”
The early week win invigorated Lady Whippet players.
“After the first win, they went into (the next one) saying, ‘We have to win,’” Peresich said. “My seniors really stepped up. If a girl was messing up, they’d take them to the side and say, ‘Hey, that’s how you do this.’ They just started proving to me that they were leaders and showed me. I feel like that made the team bond a little more.”
In addition to the senior leadership, a pair of Kosciusko (2-3) underclassmen turned in impressive efforts during the two-match win streak. Peresich praised the efforts of all her players, but credited two youngsters in particular for their steel nerves in the face of the competition.
Sophomore Elizabeth Jones stepped up against Louisville and helped serve the Lady Whippets to a couple victories. Seventh-grader Mary Kimble Price took the floor against Winston Academy and tallied a team-high 12 aces.
While the wins bode well for the region standings, Peresich said they will do even more for the team psyche as it forges ahead in the season.
“They went in hungry to win, and we got them,” she said. “I think it gives them that little confidence boost that they need right now.”
Kosciusko will attempt to extend its win streak with a pair of games scheduled for this week. The Lady Whippets were set to host Yazoo City on Tuesday in a regional contest, and Kosciusko travels to Columbus on Thursday.
The Lady Whippets current sit at No. 2 in the region standings.
“If we beat Yazoo, we’ll probably secure that No. 2 spot for the time being, and that would be really awesome with us being a first-year team,” Peresich said. “The top two teams get to go to the playoffs, so I’m trying to help my girls realize that, and I think that makes us strive to want to win more.”
