UTPB volleyball coach Tim Loesch believes his team got a wakeup call in its 23-25, 25-13, 25-16, 25-21 loss to No. 6 Angelo State Thursday at the Falcon Dome.
If the Falcons want to stay competitive with the teams at the top of the Lone Star Conference standings, Loesch said they’ll need to improve on the issues that persisted against the Rambelles.
“If we want to reach our goals and compete with the top teams, we’ve got to keep improving,” Loesch said. “We’re not there yet.
“That’s kind of my goal as a coach, to keep my teams improving.”
UTPB got off to a fast start in the first set, going back and forth with Angelo State to erase a five-point deficit and eventually tie things up at 22-22.
The Falcons outscored to the Rambelles 3-1 to win the first set, establishing a strong connection that included flowing communication between coaches and players.
Then everything changed throughout the second and third sets, as UTPB tried making adjustments to the imposing block Angelo State set up on the front line.
Those changes weren’t implemented fast enough by the Falcons, as the Rambelles would jump in front and stay in the lead to win the second and third sets by 12 and nine points.
UTPB was able to make it a close affair again in the fourth set, tying the score up nine times as the adjustments started to take effect.
“We did call for some changes and the players weren’t able to do it quick enough,” Loesch said. “We finally implemented some of those changes in the fourth set and played better, but we couldn’t quite pull that one out.”
Despite rallying multiple times to cut the deficit to 22-21 late, the Falcons didn’t have an answer as Angelo State went on a 3-0 scoring run to seal its 11th conference win.
The loss ended a four-match winning streak for the Falcons and currently has them in fifth place in the conference standings with a 14-6, 9-3 record.
Aquincia Strambler and Chandra Reed led the Falcons with nine kills each, while Analise Lucio recorded 29 assists on the night.
“From where we were, I’ve seen a lot of growth in my team,” Strambler said. “To be able to compete against a nationally-ranked team, that lets me know that we’re heading in the right direction.”
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
Angelo State def. UTPB
23-25, 25-13, 25-16, 25-21
Thursday at Falcon Dome
Kills — Angelo State: Delaney Fuller 14, Grace White 10, Kailyn Gilbreath 10, Elsa Lamphere 10, Baleigh Allen 7, Chloee Holden 6, Makenna Hanssen 1. UTPB: Chandra Reed 9, Aquincia Strambler 9, Isela Murillo 7, Taurie Magee 7, Analise Lucio 5, Sara Antic 2, Netanya Allison 1, Stephanie Sanchez 1.
Blocks — Angelo State: Allen 3, Lamphere 2, Fuller 1, White 1, Gilbreath 0.5, Sophia Berg 0.5. UTPB: Reed 2.5, Antic 1.5, Murillo 1.5, Magee 1.5, Strambler 1.
Assists — Angelo State: Gilbreath 22, Jaedyn Woolley 20, Chloe Patton 4, Allen 3, White 3, Hanssen 2, Fuller 1. UTPB: Lucio 29, Daylee Doggett 4, Antic 1, Strambler 1, Magee 1, Sanchez 1, Devin Alcoser 1.
Digs — Angelo State: Patton 25, Fuller 20, Gilbreath 17, Woolley 12, Hanssen 12, Allen 4, Lamphere 3, Holden 3, Berg 2, White 1. UTPB: Doggett 17, Murillo 15, Lucio 13, Erika Lozano 11, Sanchez 10, Antic 7, Allison 7, Strambler 4, Magee 3, Alcoser 3, Reed 3.
Aces — Angelo State: Fuller 1, Hanssen 1. UTPB: Lozano 3.
Records
Angelo State 18-3 overall, 11-1 Lone Star Conference; UTPB 14-6, 9-3.
