Mullen Girls’ Volleyball Falls in Opener
The Mullen girls’ volleyball team kicked off their season in the Lion’s den Tuesday evening. It was hot and hostile. The heat was due to an unfortunate breakdown of the facility’s cooling system. The hostility came in the form of a very good Lutheran girls’ group that repeatedly placed shots with authority where the Mustangs could not reach them, and Mullen simply could not generate a consistent offense for much of the evening. First game jitters were an apparent problem for the Mustangs, and that was amplified by the fact that Lutheran had already played a game and were playing with calmer nerves. The result was Lutheran was able to put together far too many runs which Mullen could not overcome.
Games One and Two mirrored each other in that Lutheran was able to put together several runs throughout the course of the games while Mullen could not muster any consistency on offensively. In game one the Lions were able to establish runs of 3, 4, and 6 points to Mullen’s lone run of 4 allowing the Lions to take Game One, 25 – 16. In Game Two it was much the same with Lutheran reeling off runs of 3, 3, 4, and 3 compared to Mullen’s runs of 3 and 4. That game ended 25 – 19 in Lutheran’s favor.
Game Three was a completely different story from the first two. Mullen was able to generate some offense which allowed the Mustangs to match Lutheran point for point. The nerves appeared to disappear, and the energy level matched, and at times surpassed, that of the Lions. Mullen was able to pull back to within reach after falling behind 10-4, and that is when things began to rock for the Mustangs as they narrowed the deficit to two, then one until they finally tied the score at 24 apiece. It was a different team form the first two games. The set-ups were crisper, the shots began to find their place, and the enthusiasm became infectious. Ultimately, Lutheran tallied the last two point to take the game, 26-24, and ultimately the match, 3-0.
The question arises as to which is the real Mullen team we can expect as the season progresses? The one from the first two sets or the one in the third set? “They are the third-set plus and even better than that,” Coach Oliver explained. “First set jitters a little bit, first match jitters. They are going to get there.”
How have the attitudes been leading up to this opening match, through tryouts and practice? “The girls have been great throughout the whole thing. The seniors have been really good about trying to lead everybody, get them to be positive and be on the same page. It’s been good so far, but we’ve got some work to do still.” Of course, that is why practice was invented, right? You can’t get better if you’re staying the same, and with the Glenwood Springs tournament and the Colorado Academy match coming in a 5-day span, the focus to get better should be crystal clear.
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