Lady Mules fall to North County in home opener

The Poplar Bluff High School Lady Mules volleyball team needed a near-perfect game to secure their home opener win, but a mid-set collapse would cost them dearly.

After a strong start, the Lady Mules’ spark would run its course, and they would suffer defeat by the North County Lady Raiders 3-1 (17-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-21).

Though the Lady Mules did not come away with the win, head volleyball coach Summer Shipman said the team played with great effort, but she expected more.

“We should have been way better,” Shipman said. “We didn’t cover the ball where we needed to, and we’re not moving to when we need to. I’m proud of them and the way they kept fighting. I feel like we’re high energy, and everybody’s running a bunch of directions, but it’s all fixable. It’s early in the season, and I think we did have some really good plays. We had a lot of good hits and saves, but there’s always room for improvement.”

The Lady Mules came out firing on all cylinders during the first set. The team was energetic and seemed laser-focused on getting their first win. They connected with sharp setups and raised high with some powerful spikes.

Shipman said the key to the Lady Mules’ success would be communication, and one would say they executed that to perfection for a 25-17 win in the first set. Though the momentum was heavily on the Lady Mules side, the Lady Raiders wouldn’t allow them to get too comfortable and would go on a tear in the next few sets.

Despite the Lady Raiders rocky start, the game’s control quickly shifted in their favor when they captured wins in the next two sets, 25-16 and 25-19.

With their backs against the wall during the fourth set, the Lady Mules did not back down and pushed the Lady Raiders to their limit. Regardless of any type of run the Lady Mules attempted to make, the Lady Raiders responded, ending any room for a comeback.

With a team of starters who didn’t have much playing time on the varsity last season, Shipman understands that more experience is needed, but she holds them accountable when minor mistakes are made.

Shipman said one of the biggest mistakes the Lady Mules made was not having players in the correct spots, and it’s been a constant battle to correct during the first few games.

“One of our main issues is having players in the right position,” she said. Having certain areas protected during the game has been our biggest thing for the last few games. I want us to get better and more aware of what’s happening out there. We must stop running into each other and get to moving our feet.”

Junior Morgan Cisne led the Lady Mules with 15 kills, junior Ireland Gowen with nine kills and Chloe Cambron added eight. Senior Isabelle Berry put her teammates in the proper position to score by collecting 29 assists.

The Lady Mules are scheduled to host Jackson High School (1-1) Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and despite the nerves, Shipman is hoping for a better outcome.

“We’re going to spend these next couple of practices working on those things we need to work on,” Shipman said. “We’re going to make sure we’re playing more cohesive, moving to the ball, covering where we need to, and staying positive. We must stay upbeat after bad plays and get out of our heads. If we do that, we will be fine.”