Volleyball faces challenges; travels to Umpqua Friday

The Saints have been put through the wringer lately. First, winning an intense game against Clackamas that went down to the wire on Oct. 9, then losing a tough match to Clark at home on Wednesday.  Focusing on the latter, the Mt. Hood squad came out and immediately put the Penguins to the test, taking the first game, 25-16. After that, it was all Clark, however. They punched back and the Saints had no answer, allowing points in bunches in each of the last three games. This was in stark contrast to the resiliency Mt. Hood has shown, as of late. Afterward, Saints head coach Andrew Clifton brought up how the team struggles when being pushed. The players put in the work, there’s no question there, but many first-year players have had trouble adjusting to the college level style of play, he said.

The Saints will travel to UCC on Friday, where the thought of competition will be overshadowed by the reality of terror. Umpqua is set to reopen its campus, beyond the classroom, next week and the Saints will be welcomed by the Riverhawks. In wake of the Oct. 1 mass shooting there, Clifton made mention of putting together some T-shirts or banners to show support. As for his team’s preparation and whether anything would change in its approach, he said, stoically, “We play even-keel and without a ton of emotion, anyway. We have too much respect for them not to bring our best game.”

Advocate Staff