Sept. 26, 2009 | Box Score
Lamoni, IA-The Graceland women's volleyball team took the #22 team in the country into a fifth game Saturday afternoon, but were unable to finish off Lindenwood, losing 3-2. The Jackets took the first two games in a display of very crisp execution, but could not keep a talented Lindenwood side from finding a second life later in the match.
The first two matches were both 25-19 results in Graceland' favor, showcasing a firm defense which handled the Lions' offensive offerings and enabled a powerful offensive return on the part of the Jackets.
The third game was characterized by a series of long exchanges where both teams' defenses stubbornly resisted their opponents' offensive attacks. The Lions outlasted the Graceland side in game three to run the match to 2-1 with a game score of 21-25. Lindenwoord pulled away in games four and five with scores of 15-25 and 5-15 respectively. The Lions turned up their level of play while Graceland began to execute their game less effectively than they had in the beginning of the match.
"To me the message is that, when we execute in the three primary areas of our game, we are very tough to handle," said Coach Stew McDole following the match. "We platform well, pass well and are a good service team. At the net, we are a very opportunistic offense; in the first two games we did these things very well and we were hard to stop."
"They controlled games three, four and five; we made a lot of attacking errors and couldn't control the ball like we did in the first two games," added McDole. Concluding his analysis, Coach McDole said that: "As long as you know where your issues are coming from, you know what you need to do in order to beat the #22 team in the country."
Graceland (8-6) takes on Grand View in Lamoni on Monday, September 27th at 7pm before a two week long string of road matches. Stay tuned to the Jacket athletics website for continuing coverage of the women's volleyball team and all of Jacket athletics.
For More Information on Graceland University Athletics Contact:
Matt Shelton, Sports Information Director (641) 784-5318 mshelton@graceland.edu
Want to receive instant updates on your favorite teams or all the Graceland scores via text message or email? Sign up for the Jackets new "E-Score" service by clicking the e-scores link on the home page or each teams individual page.
