Spikers struggle out of gate

There’s plenty of ways to get one’s season underway. Losing your first two matches isn’t the ideal one.
Both the Muskie senior and junior boys’ volleyball teams will have to go back to the drawing board after going 0-2 to start the NorWOSSA campaign.
Yesterday afternoon in Dryden, the juniors dropped a 3-1 decision to the host Eagles after losing their regular-season opener by a similar 3-1 score to the Kenora Broncos here last Thursday.
After winning the first set 25-19 yesterday, the juniors fell 25-18, 26-24, and 25-17 to close out the best-of-five match.
Against Kenora, the Muskies let a big first-set lead slip through their fingers to lose 26-24. While they blasted the Broncos 25-10 in the second set, they couldn’t maintain the momentum and went down 25-14 and 25-21 to give Kenora the win.
“Having it only go to four was perhaps not indicative of the match we played,” said Muskie coach Greg Ste. Croix. “I didn’t get to tell the guys enough that I think they played a great match.
“The intensity at the end of the third and fourth games, it was like we were in the playoffs.”
The seniors also have been unpredictable so far—as seen in yesterday’s 3-1 defeat to the host Eagles. After getting blown out 25-10 in the first set, the black-and-gold fought back for a 25-11 win in the second.
But a nip-and-tuck 25-23 defeat in the third set was too much for the Muskies, who went on to lose the fourth one 25-16.
Last week against Kenora, the Muskies had jumped out to an early lead with a 25-19 victory in the first set. But the Broncos ran the table after that, taking the match by scores of 25-20, 26-24, and 25-20.
“We’ve only had practice for two weeks now, so we haven’t really had a chance to set up our offence and our defence,” said Muskie assistant coach John Gibson.
“We had some great hits, some great digs. Both our setters, Ryan York and Andrew Lundy, looked really good out there.
“We had some missed serves, though. In rally point, you can’t afford to have any,” he added.
The seniors also travelled to Kenora last weekend for the Super 8 Volleyball Classic, which was won by the host St. Thomas Aquinas Saints.
Scores for the Muskies’ games were not available by press time. Fort Frances will next take the court Tuesday at home against the Eagles.