Sand Creek enjoyed a luxury that many sports teams don't normally have.
Learn hard lessons the easy way.
The Scorpions finished the regular season 20-2 Saturday at Colorado Springs Christian, defeating CSCS in four sets 25-19, 25-13, 22-25, 25-14.
but …
“We should have won in three games,” Sand Creek's Asher Mollrich said. “We were fooling around a little too much and trying to enjoy the last match. We tried to grab (the win) at the end of the third set, but it didn't happen. … We need to take this a little more seriously. But it's not so important to start blaming each other.”
In two years with the men's volleyball team, the Scorpions have dropped just one set in three games to Colorado Springs Christian.
That happened last season when the Scorpions defeated CSCS 3-1, although they also lost 25-23 in the third set.
In the final game of the regular season, Sand Creek held the Lions to 20 points in either of the first two sets, building a 2-0 lead.
The Scorpions continued to score against the Lions in the third set, taking a 9-1 lead.
However, that lead narrowed to 10-5. Then 16-15.
Sand Creek rebuilt the advantage to 20-17, but CSCS used a 5-1 run to take its first lead of the day at 22-21.
This forced Scorpions coach Alaina Schleich to call Sand Creek's first and only timeout of the game.
“She put us in our place,” Mollrich said. “She knew we weren’t taking this issue as seriously as we should. … She knew that how we finished this game could change our standing in regionals.” It let us know that we have sex.”
Schleich said he noticed that when the Scorpions play weaker teams, “it kind of gets chaotic in the third set.”
The Scorpions' first-year coach also said it will be essential for Sand Creek to learn to stay focused throughout the contest.
“I told them they have to celebrate every point and take it seriously,” Schleich said. “We had fun getting the ball in the second set. When you're not doing that, your head is racing. I tell them to put it away, celebrate the win and play hard. said.”
The Scorpions heeded Schleich in the final set and after trading points with CSCS to start the fourth, Sand Creek built an 11-7 lead and forced the Lions to call a timeout.
Lions timeouts did little to stop the Scorpions' pressure.
Sand Creek scored the next four points during the intermission and closed out the set with a 14-7 run, ending Pikes Peak 2 League play undefeated.
“I struggled with my serve at the beginning of the match, but I was able to correct it in the fourth,” Marulich said. “The hard hits also got us going. We were doing tip-and-roll shots, but that kind of thing didn't get us excited. When you look at Christian [Chandler] or [Hudson Toaddy] When we slam it, we start to get excited and then push back. ”
With regional competition approaching, Schleich hopes the Scorpions understand the lessons learned from their CSCS victory.
“We want to show people what we're capable of, but we can't afford to do anything stupid in the third set,” Schleich said. “We have to make sure we win every set and fight every time we are on the court. Even with 20 wins and two losses, we are pretty low in the standings. Masu.
“I told them no one takes them seriously. We all think we can win the games we're supposed to win, but we can't win the games that are challenging. That's the post. This is our driving force going into the season.”