First-year Kosciusko volleyball coach Lauren Peresich and her Lady Whippets are still seeking the first win of their inaugural season.
Kosciusko returned to action last Tuesday with a road trip to Nanih Waiya High School, where they were defeated 3-0. Nanih Waiya earned the win with scores of 25-10, 25-13 and 25-22.
“We couldn’t get our serves in, get our serves over,” Peresich said. “That was the biggest crutch for us this last game. We played well as a team, but you really can’t start a point if you can’t get your serve over.”
Successful serves have been a point of emphasis this season for Kosciusko’s new volleyball program. The team showed improvement in its season opener against Noxapater, but after struggling last Tuesday, Peresich said she is looking for more consistency.
“That’s kind of been our downfall the last two games,” she said. “We’ve been working on it a lot in practice, and we’re going to be working on it a lot (this week) in practice, too. I feel like they’re still kind of getting those nerves out and still not as confident as they can be. It’s a new sport, and they’re just trying to play it right.”
Kosciusko (0-2) senior Josie Meggs chipped in with a couple of aces, while sophomore Amiyah Greer added a few kills. Serving issues notwithstanding, Peresich said she was pleased with the efforts of her players.
“I feel like they did really good as far as working together and encouraging each other,” Peresich said. “That last game was very encouraging. We had less fans that Nanih Waiya did, and the last game, we were louder than their fans. That really helped the girls and encouraged the girls, so I’m hoping we can get that fan base at our next game so that we can jump out the gate playing like we did the last game against Nanih Waiya.”
Kosciusko will take to the road for a second consecutive week on Thursday when it travels to Lanier High School for the Whippets’ Region 4-4A opener. Peresich said Kosciusko’s key to victory lies with increased energy throughout all three matches.
“Lanier’s had a team for a while,” Peresich said. “I feel like if we keep the energy up and work well as a team — we work best when our energy is high — if we keep that energy up and come out swinging, we might have a fighting chance.”
