The Manual volleyball team lost to the rival Male Bulldogs by a score of three sets to two on Tuesday night in the Butch Charmoli Gymnasium.
In the first set of the game the Crimsons and the Bulldogs went back and forth, each scoring every other serve.
Manual took a sudden lead that they kept for rest of the first set. The Crimsons jumped out to an 18-13 lead in the first set, their biggest lead of the starting frame. The five point lead ended up being enough breathing room as Manual won the first match 25-23.
“I thought that we had a chance to of course win the game,” Tim OConnell head coach for the Lady Crimsons said, “They [Male] were better on the pressure points than we were, and that’s why they ended up on top.”
The second set started with Manual’s Amanda McConnell (7, 10) serving first. Both offenses shined as the Crimsons and Bulldogs traded points back and forth, keeping the score close fro the entire set.
“I think we played with a lot of intensity,” Olivia Wolf (13, 12) said, “in the ended we just made too many mistakes to come back from it.”
The Bulldogs won the second set tying the match at 1-1.
In the start of the third match, the Lady Bulldogs started the serve of the game.
Manual kept the lead for the majority of the third set, only relinquishing their lead twice. Ultimately, the Crimsons came out victorious in the third set by a score of 25-23, giving them a 2-1 lead in the match.
Male came storming back in the fourth set, winning 25-17 and tying the match at 2-2 and setting up a winner-take-all fifth set.
“We had a big focus on our outside [players],” Bulldogs head coach Craig Bossmeyer , “We have a lot of youth there, an eight grader and a freshman with a lot sent their way.”
Manual found itself down 9-3 in the fifth set, just six points away from losing (the fifth set is only played to 15 points). The Crimsons came back near the end and tied it up at 13 each, but it wasn’t enough to win the set. Male scored two more points, giving them a 15-13 win in the fifth set and a 3-2 win in the match.
“We will put them down next time.” Coach OConnell said when asked about the potential of playing Male again this season.
The next game for the Lady Crimsons will host Bullitt East on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. at home.
