On Tuesday, Sept. 23, the Lady Maverick Varsity Volleyball team faced off against the Stony Point Tigers in a tough district matchup as the Tigers are currently ranked third in the district, with the result ending in another 0-3 loss for the Lady Mavs.

“I think the biggest challenge facing Stony Point on the court was definitely that they were quick and had a high block making it super difficult to hit as aggressively and get them off of their feet,” senior pin/setter Emily Vacek said. “Also, since it was a home game for Stony Point there were a lot of people cheering against us so it was a lot easier to get in our own heads.”

Stony Point’s consistent serving and strong net play are a few of the factors that made this matchup extremely difficult for the Lady Mavs to overcome.

“We did a really good job persevering through even though we were all tired,” said Vacek. “We did try and fight against them, despite that. I also think during some plays our communication was on point because of how we were playing, we had to over communicate to each other and we stuck with that throughout the game.”

Despite their fight on the court, the Lady Mavs fell short in three straight sets, with final scores in the three sets ending 7-25, 6-25, and 10-25 respectively. This loss brings McNeil’s district record to 1-7, leaving the Lady Mavs ranked 8th in district play as they continue to push through into the second round of district.

“The team can definitely build on this game to prepare for our next matchup by being ready for any ball that could be given to us,” said Vacek. “Being more prepared for the crappy plays, working on our service receive and being smarter about placing the ball despite the challenges like having a taller front row on the other side and a higher block.”

The Lady Mavs will return to the court once again Thu. Sept. 25. at Manor Senior High School to finish off the first round of district play.