The Kosciusko Lady Whippets added two more wins to their record last week.
Kosciusko defeated Yazoo City and Columbus to up their win total to four in the inaugural season.
The wins not only held the Lady Whippets steady at No. 2 in the region standings, but they also pushed Kosciusko’s win streak to four.
“I think when they got that very first win, they just kept wanting more and realized they can do this, and they are working really well as a team,” Kosciusko head coach Lauren Peresich said.
Both wins came in the form of three-set sweeps.
Kosciusko defeated Yazoo City by scores of 25-23, 25-20 and 25-12 last Tuesday to earn its third straight win. On Thursday the Lady Whippets traveled to MHSAA Class 6A member Columbus and grabbed the win with scores of 25-21, 25-20 and 25-14.
“Our first two wins (of the season), we pushed them to five sets,” Peresich said. “And these two, we beat them in three each time. That just shows they wanted to go in there and just win off the bat and not worry about going all the way to five sets.”
The Lady Whippets were not daunted by the task of playing in the large 6A venue at Columbus.
“A lot of them didn’t know that Columbus was a 6A school before we got there, but that didn’t change their mind or scare them at all,” Peresich said. “They were just like, ‘That’d be so awesome if we beat a 6A team.’ They played probably the best game I’ve ever seen them play, hustling after balls and diving on the floor and working really hard to get that win.”
As the Lady Whippets continue to evolve as a team, Peresich said the game is finally beginning to slow down for her players. Aspects of the game that were lost in the blur of the early season have become clearer, and players are noticing their progress. Peresich said this becomes apparent during team film sessions.
“I don’t think that they understand how much they’ve actually progressed,” Peresich said. “We were watching film the other day and I showed them their game against Noxapater, which was their very first game. And they were in shock that they’ve come this far. The thing that just warms my heart as a coach is seeing girls who didn’t know each other before they got on a team together being best friends now.”
The Lady Whippets have home region matches this week against Louisville on Tuesday and Lanier on Thursday. If Kosciusko beats Lanier by a larger margin than which Lanier defeated Kosciusko earlier this season, the Lady Whippets will be in sole possession of first place in the region standings.
Lanier defeated Kosciusko with scores of 25-15, 25-15 and 25-23 on Aug. 29.
