The Yantis Lady Owls opened district volleyball play on a winning note last week, sweeping Union Hill at home before falling to Avery on the road.
Yantis defeated Union Hill 3-0 Tuesday, Sept. 22, taking the first two sets 25-17 and 25-12 before holding off the Lady Bulldogs 25-23 in a much tighter third set.
The victory snapped a four-match losing streak for Yantis and was the Lady Owls’ first home victory since last season.
The week before the district opener, Yantis Coach Jamie Garcia-Dulude said her team was still learning how to respond when circumstances disrupted its normal rhythm. Yantis had defeated CHESS before losing to Cumby in a match that was rescheduled at the last minute.
“We did win versus CHESS and lost to Cumby. Cumby was a last-minute reschedule on a day we don’t normally play. I feel like that really got into the girls’ heads, being out of routine. We still have a lot to learn but hopefully even if we get ‘out of system’ on the court vs Union Hill in our district opener we can pull through and come out with a win!” Garcia-Dulude said.
The Lady Owls did just that against Union Hill, improving to 2-8 on the season with the district-opening victory.
Yantis faced a tougher test Friday at Avery. The Lady Bulldogs swept the Lady Owls 25-12, 25-18, 25-16. Avery entered the match riding a five-match winning streak and improved to 21-12 with its sixth consecutive victory.
The loss dropped Yantis to 2-9 overall.
Yantis was scheduled to return home Tuesday, Sept. 29, to face Sulphur Bluff before heading to Fruitvale on Oct. 2.