Lady Jags need to sustain momentum

 
The Southern University Lady Jaguar volleyball team saw its home contest end with the University of New Orleans left victorious, 3-1, Wednesday in Seymour Gym.
The Jaguars, who entered yesterday’s contest after a  loss Monday at home to Prairie View, couldn’t conserve enough energy to overcome the Privateers, who took sets one, three, and four and captured its second match over SU.
Sophomore middle blocker Amber Shelby, one of the team’s most steady contributors so far, led the Jaguars with nine kills, tying junior outside hitter Jacquia Bell.
“You have to understand that we don’t have the depth that we need to have,” head coach Nathaniel Denu said after Wednesday’s contest. “As the match prolonged, there’s a tendency for us to get tired mentally and sometimes physically tired.”
The Privateers posted an impressive .286 hitting percentage in set three, routing SU 25-10.
Meanwhile, the Lady Jaguars, for whom fatigue has been a point of concern for Denu, hit a match high percentage of .229, winning 27-25.
However, SU could not generate any momentum as UNO never looked back, surviving 25-19 in the last set. In attempt to survive the last set, the Privateers called a timeout to slow SU down after pulling within four points.
UNO lead by as many as 10 points after a 8-3 scoring run to open the set.
“We needed to get out of our rotation,” UNO coach Kim Buford said after the matchup. “We had to get a timeout to get our girls back into the flow and just reenergize ourselves.”
The Privateers faced the Jaguars just two nights after a 3-0 victory over Arkansas Pine-Bluff, who are 2-0 and rank second in the West standings. Pine Bluff will face Southern Monday Oct 15.
Statistically, SU was cursed by their offensive woes, as only two others (sophomore middle blocker and outside hitter Marisol Macias and junior outside hitter Simone Beasley) registered at least five kills.
The Privateers received double-digit kills from three players with a .193 hitting percentage, while SU attacked a percentage of .072.
“We’re not giving up.” Denu said. “Hopefully as we move along, those people that are hurt can come back and help us finish the season.”
SU will have their hands full containing Arkansas Pine-Bluff and will need another blocking performance by freshman middle blocker, Jaquel Watts, who recorded seven against UNO, if they want to climb into a better position in the Southwestern Athletic Conference title race.
“Our passing was sharp and our defense was great,” Denu said . “We just didn’t sustain that momentum. “