Clay City continues search for consistency in loss to Greencastle

Clay City's Emma Baumgartner, who was one of nine players and managers honored on Senior Night, rises up for a block during Tuesday's loss to Greencastle.

Adler Ingalsbe photo

Clay City’s volleyball team, under a new regime and with multiple new faces entering the program, spent the first two months of the season figuring out its identity and the way it wanted to play.

But with the calendar flipping to October on Tuesday, which means the postseason is right around the corner, first-year head coach Asie Jeffers informed her group that it’s time to find their groove if they want to have an opportunity to accomplish some of the goals they set out to do during the summer.

And even though Tuesday’s 3-0 loss to visiting Greencastle didn’t get the final push through the regular season started the way they wanted, Jeffers said the framework for what needs to be changed was apparent, and that was the message she delivered to her group in the locker room afterwards.

“It’s all about keeping our momentum,” said Jeffers. “As we showed tonight, we can rally up six points or we can fall back by six points. That’s something we’ve really been working on. We want to keep our momentum and stay consistent. If we do that, everybody looks good, everybody feels good and everybody’s happy. But when it’s not, it’s a quick sink.”

Jeffers said there was one word that described what’s held the Eels back throughout the season, and it was on display again against the Tiger Cubs – consistency.

She specifically pointed to the third set as an example of the rollercoaster ride her team always finds itself on.

Greencastle, which won the first and second sets by respective scores of 25-17 and 25-11, jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the third frame. But Clay City found a way to claw itself back into it, injecting life into the jam-packed student section that gave the hosts a homecourt advantage with its loud cheering, and eventually took a slim lead of 15-14.

How’d the Eels do it?

“They talked and they communicated,” said Jeffers. “We weren’t worrying about whose ball it was. Everybody just stepped up and communicated and took the ball like they needed to. Communication was the biggest part of it. It was about not hesitating and having confidence. When we stack up a lot of points in a row like that, it’s usually because our confidence is really high and we’re no longer worried about who’s doing what.”

But what followed was a back-breaking 11-3 run by Greencastle that ended in a 25-18 loss for Clay City. In the run that took the air out of the Eel Dome, Jeffers said the lack of communication was what stood out most. She also noted that when the momentum began shifting towards the visiting side of the net, Clay City’s confidence noticeably began to fade away as well.

“Our biggest [flaw] is lack of confidence. It quickly goes up and then it quickly goes back down,” Jeffers said.

So, with three regular season matches left to go, is it possible for the Eels to find the consistency they need to propel themselves to a sectional championship appearance?

“It is,” Jeffers opined. “I fully believe in them, and I tell them that all the time. But they have to get to the point where they believe it themselves, and only they can do that.”

If Clay City is going to be competing for the sectional crown inside the Eel Dome in just a couple of weeks, it will have to lean heavily upon a strong senior class – Lizzy Sinders, Emma Baumgartner, Chloe Youngblood, Kennedy Rea and Gracie Oberholtzer, as well as managers Morgan Sheese, Kenzie Sheese, Ida Roethemeier and Fanka Junakovic – that was honored on Tuesday for Senior Night.

Jeffers is grateful for the seniors’ willingness to help in building a new culture for the program and wanted them to be able to enjoy their evening despite falling short on the scoreboard.

“Nobody likes to win on Senior Night, but even though this is my first year, I’ve been around them for a long time and have seen them grow, so I am very proud of their hard work and everything that they’ve accomplished on the floor and off the floor,” said Jeffers. “Hopefully, we can put this game to the side and focus on all of the good stuff they have going on tonight and then come back ready to go on Monday.”