Corsairs victim to mind games

Whereas lightning lit up the Tuesday night Santa Monica skyline, the Lady Corsair volleyball team failed to locate any source of energy inside the gym against the visiting Citrus Owls.

Mental mistakes emerged to be thematic over the complete sweep of the Corsairs as Citrus made quick work of Santa Monica College, taking the match with game scores of 25-23, 18-25, and 19-25 respectively.

Following the remarkably short hour-long match, the Corsairs headed back to the locker room to diagnose their miscommunication while the Lady Owls piled on their team bus, engine still warm.

"You know, it really is clearly mental," said head coach Nicole Ryan. "They are more worried about making mistakes, and they really need to start focusing on the game itself and mechanics."

Game 1 gave no indication of struggle, as SMC lost by only a slim two-point margin in a game decorated with powerful outside spikes and solid blocks from freshman Amelia Keeling.

As for the remainder of the match, the Corsairs in-game structure ran completely askew. Citrus' fluid team chemistry only further exposed the disorganization of the home team, and SMC would exemplify their mental roadblocks to the fullest with multiple inaccurate serves that fell out of play.

Their offense would in turn struggle to put up a motivating amount of points on the scoreboard, and their inability to set up decent spikes increased as the deficit worsened.

"It wasn't our best," said freshman Kelsey Keil. "We need to play more as a team and less as individuals."

SMC's shutout loss broadcasted the team's unfortunate habit of relying on a leader to carry the squad.

"They're doing a team exercise this week to come together and be open with each other in terms in what they need," said Ryan.

With Bakersfield next on the docket this Friday, the ladies look to pursue equilibrium off the court to sync their in-game execution.