Last night, JCU Coed Volleyball team was in action in a friendly game against Volley Aurelio. Our Gladiators gave a good performance, but the opponents ultimately took home the victory with a 2-1 lead.
Despite numerous absences and a different team composition out on the court, JCU immediately started off strong and dominated the first set, winning 19-25. Our Gladiators played well, in particular, David Axtell who had to adjust his play in a middle blocker position contrary to the opposite position to which he’s usually used to play.
JCU kept scoring and tried to maintain the advantage in the second set. However, our Gladiators had to surrender to a sudden physical drop, which was cleverly exploited by Volley Aurelio. The opponents won the second set, 25-22.
“It was one of those weird situations where everything seems to go in the right direction, but then it suddenly changes, and nothing seems to work out anymore,” coach Papari commented.
In the third set, our Gladiators entered back the game committing too many mistakes. Volley Aurelio took the lead, but JCU still managed to reduce the score gap, but it wasn’t enough to overturn the result. Volley Aurelio also won the third set, 25-22.
“I tried to change our tactics during the game, and I saw some small improvements, but we played against a well-organized and solid team who actually qualified for the Finals in the Oroverde Tournament last year,” coach Papari concluded. “We knew it wasn’t easy game, but we were still able to walk out of the game with a good performance, also considering the fact that were outnumbered.”
So keep working hard, Gladiators!
MVP – David Axtell
