While their record isn’t what they want it to be at this point of the season, the goals for the Zionsville volleyball team are still within their grasp.
The big goal to win a sectional and making a deep post-season run will likely include getting past Hamilton Southeastern, the two-time defending state champions.
The two met on Thursday for the first of potentially three meetings over the next couple of weeks and while the Royals came away with the 3-2 (25-27, 25-20, 25-27, 25-22, 15-9) win, the Eagles know they are on the right track.
“At the end of the day, our record doesn’t matter – all of our goals are still in front of us,” Zionsville head coach Olivia Goldstein said. “We hopefully get another shot at them this weekend at Crown Point and then the sectional. We have been tested a lot this year, and we are starting to rise to that challenge.”
The loss was just the third in the last 10 matches for the Eagles, a 7-3 stretch coming off a stretch where they lost seven of eight.
It was also the last of the five regularly scheduled match-ups against potential sectional foes. The Eagles went 1-4 in those matches, but three of the losses came in five sets and could easily have been flipped.
“I don’t hate it that we lost to some of these teams that we have to face again,” Goldstein said. “I like it for us that we keep pushing and battling. The result is the result, but we are looking at it as more of the how – how are we playing? How did we lose? And are we getting better? Because as long as we are learning from those mistakes, we aren’t letting one loss beat us twice.”
The Eagles battled through the first few sets.
HSE led 7-1 in the first, but the Eagles came back, eventually tying the set at 22 and finishing it off on an ace from Josie Imes.
The Royals, leading 16-15, went on a 5-1 spurt to grab control and win the second set, but the Eagles won a closely-contested third to put themselves one set away from victory.
The Royals held a slim lead in the fourth until the Eagles came back to tie the set at 21. HSE won the next two points and while the Eagles got within 23-22, the couldn’t come back to win the set.
Zionsville never led in the fifth and after being tied at 3 and 4, the Royals used a 3-0 mini run to grab a 7-4 lead. Zionsville got within one at 7-6 on an ace from Mya Cunningham, but got no closer.
“We struggled to pass a little bit and engage our middles,” Goldstein said. “That’s been key for us, improving our distribution and getting our right sides and middles involved – because that gives our outsides openings. When we don’t do that it is hard against four hands on that team.”
While it was a “quality loss,” the Eagles know they have things to clean up in the final quarter of the season.
But also know that Thursday shows they aren’t far from where they want to be.
“They are proud, but disappointed,” Goldstein said. “They are hungry, but not satisfied and that is exciting to see. Instead of being passive and down about it, it’s making us hungrier and wanting to compete more.”
The Eagles next opportunity on the court comes at the Crown Point Tournament on Saturday.
The event features top teams from around the state.
“It’s going to be good preparation and a good challenge. Hopefully we get a chance to meet up with HSE again in the final, but no matter who we see, we are looking forward to it.”
Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.