Cougars win in close home matchup

WARDEN — The Warden Cougars volleyball team (2-8) had a tough game against Granger on Tuesday evening, but rallied to come up with a 3-2 victory. 

“We just played as a team,” said Cougar Hannah Roylance. “We have our ups and downs, every team does, but in the end, we pulled together, we had energy, we were competing well, and I feel like that's what gains the win.” 

The game was competitive from the start as both teams went head-to-head in the first set, ending in a 25-23 victory for the Cougars. Granger took the advantage in the second set, winning 25-20. 

The Cougars pulled ahead in the third set to win 25-23, but Granger would come back once again in the fourth set with a score of 25-19 to tie the game at 2-2.  

The teams went back and forth in the fifth set, but ultimately the game would end with a score of 16-14 in favor of the Cougars. 

“You have got to raise the bar, you can’t settle, you have to compete,” said Cougars Head Coach Katie Roylance. “If the ball hits the ground, don’t let it happen again, and that’s on you as a player. Do you want to do better? Do you want to push yourself out of your comfort zone?” 

Coach Roylance said the team did a great job competing on the defensive side of the ball, where they blocked multiple hits from their opponent and stayed on top of the ball throughout the game. 

The Cougars have been working hard on keeping up their high energy on the court, which was important for a long game such as this, she said. 

Cougars seniors Amaya Erickson and Miranda Martinez said the team’s ability to fight hard throughout the match and make their comeback was something they can all be proud of. 

“Once we got our energy, just keeping it up really helped us,” said Erickson.  

The players said the team thrives when they put trust in each other on the court and that through their determination, they can come back from anything, even when they’re down. 

The biggest lesson for the Cougars to take from their matchup against Granger was seeing how well their opponent placed the ball, said Coach Roylance. There were occasions when Granger would take advantage of the Cougars being out of system, which meant that the team would need to work on faster transitions. 

“I just hope they keep this energy and keep the competitiveness that I feel like we brought tonight,” she said. 

As seniors Erickson and Martinez head into the second half of the season, they said the team is going to keep working on coming together and becoming the best version of itself. 

“I feel like we’ve definitely had a lot of improvement,” said Martinez. “We still have little bits and pieces to fix, but I think we’ll get there.” 

The Cougars’ next game will be at home tonight at 6:30 p.m., where they will face Columbia (Burbank). 

BOX SCORE:  

WRDN: 25-20-25-19-16: 3
GRNG: 23-25-23-25-14: 2 

    Cougars senior Amaya Erickson gets ready to hit the ball during Tuesday’s matchup against Granger. Erickson said the energy that the Cougars had during the game was what led the team to victory.
  

    Miranda Martinez, a senior from the Cougars, readies herself to serve the ball against Granger. Martinez said the team will continue to improve through the end of the season.
  

    Brittney Cole from the Cougars dives down to make a save during Tuesday’s game against Granger. The Cougars had multiple back-and-forth moments against Granger before earning the victory in the fifth set.
  

    Cougars player Kaleigh Secrist bumps the ball back over the net during Tuesday’s matchup.