Simson Garcia | Sports Editor
On Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 volleyball action shared many woo’s and woe’s, but the Wolves fell short both games, finishing at 3-0 and 3-2, respectively.
Playing at home on Oct. 31, the 3-0 overall set scores against Concordia was a recurring deficit through half of the first set.
Whenever the game was tightly contested, Concordia would nudge just a little bit ahead in the score. At times the scores would be 5-8, 8-8, 9-12, 14-17, then 17 all. But, inevitably, Concordia had the advantage.
It seemed whenever the Wolves would tie it up, a service error, a faulty set or simply someone making illegal contact with the net would eat at the Wolves’s chances. Indeed, the blocking of Concordia at the net would make all the difference needed to edge out the Wolves in the first set 25-23.
The second set was tight, back and forth action throughout but Western would only see their largest lead of the game at two when they went up 4-2 in the score. With the game as tight as it was at 15-16 in the second set, the Wolves would see their deficit slowly evaporate until Concordia blew the score open onto a 17-25 win.
The Wolves also had their chances at taking advantage in the score when similar mistakes made by the Wolves would make its way onto Concordia’s end. But Wolves failed to realize any positive outcome in the end and would lose the third set in similar fashion to the previous set with a score of 19-25 and a 3-0 loss to Concordia.
November 2’s second match and the first set at Montana State would take a roundabout turn to the similar sets given up to Concordia. Western would lose the first set, but was more valiant in its efforts.
Western showed promise in the heart of their senior outside hitter, Alisha Bettinson, when she surpassed a school record of 1,065 kills — set by former Wolf Danielle Reese — in the second set to tie the knot in the match at 1-1. Bettinson would end the night with 18 kills, and for her volleyball career thus far: a DII school record of 1,075 kills.
Montana State would win the third set by a hair at 25-23. Western then battled back to even up the match at 2-2.
In the final set, MSU would prevail in the clinch winning 16-14 to a match total of 3-2, surrendering the Wolves winless through three days.
Next up, on Nov. 9, the Wolves schedule a trip to Alaska where they will face the University of Alaska Anchorage. Toss-up is set for 7 p.m.
Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu
