Packers fall short on an emotional night against Rochester Mayo
Published 9:41 pm Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Ausitn’s Katara Fischer digs a serve during game one against Rochester Mayo Tuesday night in Packer Gym. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Ausitn’s Haleigh Holman plays the ball against Rochester Mayo Tuesday night in Packer Gym. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin’s Elizabeth Clennon plays the ball during game two against Rochester Mayo Tuesday night in Packer gym. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin’s Addison Walsh plays a serve against Rochester Mayo Tuesday night in Packer Gym. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin’s Katara Fischer attacks agianst Rochester Mayo in Game 1 Tuesday night in Packer Gym. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin’s Ele Struck attacks against Rochester Mayo Tuesday night in Packer Gym. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin’s Isabella Bolster attacks against Rochester Mayo in Game 1 Tuesday night in Packer Gym. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin’s LeahJoe Adamson, left, and Isabella Bolster (21) throw up a block in Game 1 against Rochester Mayo Tuesday night in Packer Gym. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin’s Katara Fischer attacks agianst Rochester Mayo in Game 1 Tuesday night in Packer Gym. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
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It was a night of difficult emotions for the Austin volleyball team and it eventually had an effect on the Packers as they lost to Rochester Mayo 28-26, 25-23, 25-18 in Packer Gym Tuesday.
Austin (8-8 overall) was on the verge of tying the match at 1-1 with the second game knotted at 19-19 when Austin setter Elizabeth Clennon sustained an injury while hustling for a loose ball near the net. The match was stalled for about 30 minutes as emergency services arrived to assist Clennon and take her to the hospital.
“It definitely affected us. We hope she’s OK and she can come back,” Austin head coach Nichelle Guillaume said of Clennon. “It’s hard to get them just to focus. We did a moment of silence at the beginning of the night for a fellow (AHS) senior that lost his life in a car accident today and then that happened. It definitely weighs on the team.”
Austin sophomore Quinn Osgood and her teammates could only watch as their teammate was receiving medical attention. It was a nerve wracking moment for a team that had been pushing towards picking its play up.
“We wanted to win for Elizabeth, but I guess as a team, our energy just wasn’t there,” Osgood said. “I have seen something like that during basketball, but it was a weird experience. A lot of us were scared about what was going to happen and we were nervous. It was kind of crazy.”
After the break, the Spartans took a 22-19 lead in the second set before Austin’s Isabella Bolster served an ace to tie it up at 22-22. Mayo (4-8 overall) scored three of the last four points of that set to go up 2-0 and it started the third set with a 15-9 lead.
The first set went back and forth and Osgood gave the Packers a chance with a kill that tied it at 26 all. However, an Austin missed serve gave the Spartans the lead and Mayo’s Siri Kirkeby put down the final point.
“We had way too many errors in that first set. We had six or seven missed serves and you can’t win games like that,” Guillaume said. “If we didn’t miss those, it could’ve gone a different way.”
While Austin played well at times, Osgood said the Packers still have some things to work out.
“We were ready for a challenge, but those missed serves in the first game really got us down and that game shouldn’t have been as close as it was,” Osgood said. “We need to play more as a team and less as individuals. We need to work together and it all depends on the pass, the set and the hit. It’s a team effort, not one player.”
Austin stats: Lexi Brede, 4 ace serves; Quinn Osgood, 9 kills; Isabella Bolster, 9 kills; Elizabeth Clennon, 13 set assists; Hayliegh Holman, 11 set assists; Addison Walsh, 23 digs
