Saints look to put tough tourney behind them

This past weekend, Mt. Hood’s volleyball team hosted the Dorian Harris Halloween Tournament. The two-day tourney, which included 12 NWAC community college teams, was a rough one for the Saints, who went 0-4.

The Saints opened their play last Friday with a five-set match against Centralia CC. Deadlocked at two sets apiece, Centralia squeezed out a 15-13 fifth-set win to take the match (25-23, 16-25, 27-25, 18-25, 15-13).

Later in the day Mt. Hood lost to Columbia Basin CC in four sets (25-23, 18-25, 25-22, 25-16).

Day Two of the tournament brought similar results for the Saints. They started off with a three-set loss to Everett CC (25-21, 30-28, 25-23), then followed with a best-of-three, two-set loss to Centralia (25-13, 25-18), the team they lost to in five sets the day before.

All in all, it was a frustrating weekend for Coach Andrew Clifton and his Saints. Clifton knows that his squad is capable of performing at a higher level. Working more on “playing consistent” is something the coach said he took from the tourney.

Up next for the Saints is South Region-leading Clackamas (8-0 in conference play, 32-11 overall). The Saints played well in their last meeting against the Cougars in a five-set match before falling.

Heading into the contest, Clifton has three focuses: serving, passing, and emotional control, he said. The match takes place at 6 p.m. tonight at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City.

With only four teams from the South Region qualifying for the NWAC playoffs later this month, every match is immensely important for the Saints. The Saints, who currently sit fourth (3-5 in league play), have the fifth-seeded Southwestern Oregon (2-5 in league play) right on their heels.

With only two games left in the season it will be important for the Saints to put the tournament results behind them and stay mentally and emotionally focused on the task at hand: qualifying for the NWAC playoffs.

 

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