The Lady Panthers of Alba-Golden dropped a match against a visiting Lone Oak Lady Buffalos side, last Friday, in five sets. The Lady Panthers will rue the lost chances after winning the first two sets handily and losing a close third set. 

Volleyball is indeed a strange game. There appears to be some power which often transfers from one team to another, but the impetus of that transfer is unknown. It just happens. 

In the first two sets against Lone Oak, the Lady Panthers were clearly on the offensive, aggressively taking offensive chances, exhibiting great court awareness and movement. They took the first set 25-19 and the second 25-16. There was obvious confidence among the team, and they were enjoying the play.

Just moments after the high-fives of game two, game three began with the Lady Panthers in sleepwalking mode. That transfer of power had occurred and the Lady Panthers seemed powerless to get it back. They went down 1-7 before beginning to shed the malaise. 

Lainey Teel, Lainey Wright and Avery Stevenson combined for some great kill shots as the home side climbed back into the set. Sadie Wright’s cross-court smash made the score 22-23, and Alba-Golden regained momentum.   

It bears noting that the Lady Panthers would not have even been close to taking the third set had it not been for the defensive work of Alyssa Murdock – who had her best match of the young season.

After Wright’s score, however, the Lady Panthers fell after a clever push shot by Lone Oak and mishandling of a ball off the rafters. 

The close call of the third set seemed to gut the Lady Panthers. They fell 25-9 in set four and 15-5 in the tie-breaker. 

Even the best of collegiate volleyball teams suffer from momentum shifts. The skill to be learned is how to recognize it and take effective action to stop the momentum and begin to bring it back to the team’s side of the net. That is the challenge for Alba-Golden volleyball before the commencement of district play. 

The next chance to see the Lady Panthers at home is Friday as they host the Clarksville Lady Tigers at 4:30 p.m.