Coach Piper Wright says her team got an “eye opener” in a lopsided home loss to Glendale Tuesday night. The Lady Tigers lost 9-25 13-25, dropping to 0-4 on the season.
Wright says Glendale exposed some “gaps” in the Lady Tigers’ game that will have to be addressed.
“We just could not get an offense going at all, and you absolutely have to have an offense against a team like Glendale. They’re a phenomenal team,” Wright says.
Brooke Stanfield led the offense for Republic with five kills. Emily Preston had ten assists. Michayla Shanks had ten digs to lead the defense, and Jera Pipkin contributed one service ace.
Republic has opened its schedule against four powerhouse volleyball programs: Carl Junction, Jefferson City Helias, Columbia Rock Bridge, and Springfield Glendale. The 0-4 start is the worst in Wright’s tenure, but she says the Lady Tigers are “holding up okay.
“I do worry about… us getting down at the beginning of the season,” Wright says. “But I told them in the locker room…’It’s not going to get any easier from here, so we’re going to have to just continue to be confident and take it to them every time.'”
The Lady Tigers have six days off. They’ll return to the court next Monday on the road at Marshfield.
The JV team won 21-25 25-12 25-10. The freshman Lady Tigers won 25-3 25-11.