Las Positas’ women’s volleyball lost a tough match to Dublin Valley College on Wednesday, Aug. 31. Prior to COVID-19, the team, alongside other athletic organizations in the state, were put on pause indefinitely. However, the day has finally come— their first home game of the season.
Despite putting up a solid fight for the crowd among the stands, The Hawks lost all three sets by scores of 25-7, 25-9 and 25-14, respectively. That said, the group still maintained a few standout players. LPC suffered a loss, but their resilience was promising, considering they have not been able to build any team chemistry and strategy over the past two years.
In total, the team racked up 27 digs, which are awarded when a defensive player successfully receives a spike from the opposing team and passes it to a teammate. In comparison to DVC, who garnered 28, the competition was not far-fetched.
In addition to a decent number of digs, players Sophia Kim and Stefani Santos kept steady scoring output. Nonetheless, they were no match for DVC’s potent return to the court.
According to first-year coach Jamie Hadenfeldt, the team is looking to push forward and collect some wins.
Looking through the stat sheet, there are several things the Hawks can do better in future matches. Specifically, their offensive plays were lacking in comparison to the team’s defense, costing them vital points. Meanwhile, top-scorers from DVC such as Jenna Foster, Storee Lute and Alyssa Martinez obtained points on the blocks.
Though the real culprit for the Hawks’ loss was DVC’s dominance in blocking the ball and their high kill percentage on their spikes. Kills are awarded any time an attack attempt is unreturnable or uncontrolled by the opponent leading to a point scored. Statistically speaking, DVC scored 26% of their spikes, while LPC scored 6.1%.
Overall, the Coast Conference is shaping up to be ultra-competitive this year, and LPC is in for a challenge.
Mason Newbould is a staff writer for The Express.
