GREENVILLE — The Greenville Lady Wave showed flashes of strong play but struggled to sustain its momentum in a 3-0 Miami Valley League volleyball loss, falling to the visiting Troy Lady Trojans 25-21, 25-18, and 25-23.
Greenville jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening set, prompting Troy to call a timeout. The Lady Trojans responded with a 9-2 run to take an 11-9 advantage.
Troy extended its lead to 19-15 before Greenville answered with a 5-1 run to tie the score at 20. The Lady Trojans recovered and scored the points needed to take the opening set 25-21.
Greenville struggled to find its rhythm early in the second set before narrowing a sizable Troy lead. The Lady Wave began playing better late in the set, but the comeback fell short as Troy took a 2-0 match advantage with a 25-18 second set win.
“There were a ton of errors,” Greenville’s coach said. “Our passing got better, and then our hitters just couldn’t put the ball away. We had a ton of hitting errors.”
The Lady Wave again started quickly in the third set, taking a 6-4 lead and building the advantage to 16-13. Troy pulled even at 17 and again at 19 before moving in front 24-20.
Greenville fought off three match points to cut the deficit to 24-23, but Troy claimed the next point to win the set 25-23 and complete the conference sweep.
“They came out on fire and were playing well,” Greenville’s coach Michelle Hardesty said. “Then, after a few mistakes and hitting a few balls out, they lost their confidence. Trying to bring that back is our job, but we can’t play it for them.”
Greenville entered the season with eight seniors, several of whom have multiple years of varsity experience.
“When you have eight seniors, you expect that you don’t have to reteach the fundamentals,” Hardesty stated. “It’s disappointing to let a team come into your house and beat you. Troy is a great team, but I feel like we’re a great team. We just have to do better and work harder.”
Despite the loss, Greenville’s coach said there is plenty of time for the Lady Wave to improve.
“Every match, you’re going to have some highs and some lows,” Hardesty noted. “They have to remember their fundamentals, remember what they need to do and play the next ball.”
