The UTPB volleyball team is coming off its first loss in the last nine games but considering that it was against national powerhouse West Texas A&M and considering how difficult the Lone Star Conference is, there’s no reason for concern.
It also is worth mentioning that UTPB has plenty of regular season left.
After beginning Lone Star Conference play with a sweeping victory against Eastern New Mexico last Thursday, the Falcons fell back to earth with a loss in straight sets to West Texas A&M Saturday at Falcon Dome.
It was the Falcons’ first loss since their five-set defeat against Fort Lewis College back on the opening weekend of the season on Sept. 6.
UTPB now sits at 8-3 overall and 1-1 in conference.
West Texas A&M, which is the defending NCAA Division II runner-up from the national tournament, is currently in a six-way tie for first at 9-3, 2-0.
“The first opponent, Eastern New Mexico, we came out pretty confident and then against West Texas A&M, we probably respected them a little too much,” UTPB head coach CJ Allard said. “They put on their shoes and knee pads the same way we do. Their court is the same as ours. I don’t think I prepared us well enough to win both games. I probably did better on Thursday and worse on Saturday, but I’ll certainly be better at that this week.”
The loss ended UTPB’s eight-game winning streak.
UTPB will look to start a new streak when the Falcons go on the road this week.
UTPB will face Texas A&M-Kingsville at 6 p.m. Friday before taking on Texas A&M International at 2 p.m. Saturday in Laredo.
Coming off last week’s split, Allard said his team is putting everything in perspective.
“… A lot of bad coaches get caught up in the end result. ‘oh, we won. Everything’s great.’ and after a loss, ‘oh, the world is ending,’” Allard said. “We’re very committed to the process and as we preview opponents and see how we can do better, we’re very process-oriented, so if you see frustrations from me, then there’s something in our process that can be cleaned up a little bit.”
Texas A&M-Kingsville comes in at 8-5, 0-2, having lost to St. Mary’s in a sweep and Texas A&M International in a five-set match last week.
Texas A&M International is currently 5-5, 2-0.
Fortunately for UTPB, the Falcons have already been to Laredo and played against Texas A&M International.
The Falcons defeated Texas A&M International 3-0 in a game that didn’t count toward the conference standings back on Sept. 19 in Laredo.
“We were in Laredo two weeks ago so I know what Laredo is all about,” Allard said. “If you want to get to Laredo earlier, then we have to get that match over with quicker on Friday. But Kingsville’s a good team. I don’t want anyone to think we’ll be able to handle them without doing our jobs. We can’t get too caught up in the travel. Traveling is all a part of it. We don’t control the schedule … It’s a lot of prep work to make the traveling manageable.”
There’s no shortage of confidence for the Falcons who, prior to last Saturday’s loss, had also won four sweeps in a row.
“We expect to win every set,” Allard said. “We only need to win three sets. We’re good enough to win against any team. There are some great teams in front of us. Our young ladies have learned that our chemistry and that our offense can be lethal. Our defense is one of the best in the country. Not one individual is holding the team together. Structure is very strong. If we continue with that process, I think we’ll win every set. Of course, we’ll lose some, obviously, but we always expect to win when we step onto the court.”
