Volleyball splits with Tennessee

Anderson Haigler/Sports Editor/The USD Vista

The University of San Diego women’s volleyball team showed flashes of brilliance last weekend. At times, they looked every bit the part of a team that was ranked 16th in the nation. However, as the weekend went on, the Toreros demonstrated that they may have work to do should they hope to continue the success that is expected of USD both inside and out of the program.

After cruising to a victory in straight sets in their Friday night home matchup against the University of Tennessee, USD stumbled Saturday, and suffered a five-set, upset defeat at the hands of the Volunteers. The end result of the Toreros’ Friday and Saturdayefforts? An easy win and an uncharacteristic loss against an unranked opponent that one player described as a “wake-up call.”

While USD ended their series against Tennessee on a low note, they began it as strongly as any team could hope for. The Toreros jumped out to an early lead in the first set and never looked back. Seniors Kaity Edwards, Addie Picha, and Lauren Fuller led the way for USD on offense, with 10, 9, and 5 kills on the night. Picha’s contributions, however, did not stop with her offense. She had 10 blocks across all three sets, helping the Toreros earn their first match sweep of the season, with final scores of 25-19, 25-21, and 25-18. Their decisive Friday night win was just their second of the year following four consecutive matchups against ranked opponents to open the season.

On the surface, USD appeared to carry their momentum into their first set in Saturday’s match. They won their first set by a score of 25-22, but the ease with which they defeated the Volunteers the night before seemed to be gone. While the Friday night contest featured the Toreros consistently pulling ahead as each set went on, Saturday saw more fight from Tennessee. The Volunteers battled USD, frequently trading the lead with the Toreros, and as the night unfolded, the match as a whole took on a different, more urgent tone. Tennessee’s fans traveled well, and despite a healthy crowd of Torero fans, the Jenny Craig Pavilion (JCP) felt like an away venue for USD at times.

The second set was where the Toreros’ hopes of a series sweep began to unravel. Unable to distance themselves from Tennessee, the Toreros never established a meaningful lead and lost a 25-20 decision. USD demonstrated an element of resilience in the final two sets, answering each time the Volunteers took the lead, but in the end, Tennessee proved to be too much for the Toreros, winning two consecutive 25-22 sets to close out the match and earn an upset victory on the road, their second win against a ranked team of the season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophomore outside hitter Roxie Wiblin attributed the Toreros’ loss to a lack of team chemistry.

“(The difference was) team chemistry,” Wiblin said. “We were talking a lot about what we wanted to do and not actually doing it. There weren’t enough people on the court who were confident in their skills to do what we wanted to do.”

Wiblin, who led USD with 17 kills in the match, explained how her opponent’s approach differed from match to match.

“They played a lot better defense (on Saturday),” Wiblin said. “They were passing better, their hitters were hitting better, and we just kept playing like we did last night, and didn’t respond to their adjustments.”

Standards are high for USD volleyball. After a WCC championship and a NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2017-2018 season that saw the Toreros ranked as high as 9th nationally, it is clear that the women on the Torero roster expect a lot of themselves.

To Wiblin, a loss like the one the Toreros endured on Saturday night was not only uncharacteristic, but a sign that the Toreros still have work to do if they are to repeat their success of last year.

“I think (the loss) was a wake-up call,” Wiblin said. “If we’re gonna wanna keep up the prestige that this program has we have to put in the work, we have to turn it around, because that was not USD volleyball. USD volleyball kicks butt in three (sets).”

USD women’s volleyball head coach Jennifer Petrie described the Toreros’ weekend performance as a missed opportunity.

“I felt like this past weekend we could’ve played better,” Petrie said. “We had some opportunities to work on our own game versus really concerning ourselves with our opponent, and we could’ve done a better job of that. It was probably our first opportunity where we felt on paper we should be the better team.”

According to Petrie, the Toreros‘ shortcomings were a matter of approach.

“Instead of playing aggressively to win, we were playing not to lose,” Petrie said. “(The Toreros) need to learn to come prepared to play against all opponents, regardless of where they’re ranked or what their record is.”

She also acknowledged adjusments that the Volunteers made between the two matches.

“They did a much better job of attacking our passers, they served a lot tougher,” Petrie said. “That made it a lot harder for us to stay in system.”

Like Wiblin mentioned, USD’s loss may have sparked a new sense of resolve in the Toreros. Petrie detailed how her team has intensified their practice routine in response to their unexpected defeat.

“We’re really upping the level of competition in the gym,” Petrie said. “A lot of scoring drills, a lot of opportunities to win not only as a team but to win individually at each position, to increase the defensive tenacity in the gym, just the overall intensity of practice.”

Despite the loss, Wiblin stated that she and her team are optimistic and motivated for the rest of the season.

“I’m excited to prove everyone wrong, prove Tennessee wrong, and do what we actually do,” Wiblin said. “We want the highest ranking we can get, we want to earn everything, we want to put another number on that banner, we want to win a WCC championship — we want it all. But we have to back it up with the work.”

The Toreros will look to bounce back Friday, when they take on USC at 12 p.m. in the JCP.