Carson High's volleyball team lost its second straight 4A match Thursday night, but coach Robert Maw felt a whole lot better about his veteran squad than he did two days ago.
Reed took a two-set lead (25-19, 25-23) only to see the Senators storm back and win the next two (25-21, 25-20) to even the match. In the decisive fifth game, Reed rolled to an early 8-3 lead and won 15-8.
Carson opens Sierra League play Tuesday night against Damonte Ranch at 6 p.m. at Morse Burley Gym.
"As much as I'm not satisfied about losing, the girls played with a lot of heart and energy," Maw said after a lengthy discussion with his squad. "We made a lot of progress over the last two days. I want to see a lot more (of it)."
"We need to come out with more energy and get it done," Alyson Christl said. "Once we got behind (in the fifth game) we got down. We have to do a better job of keeping (our spirits) up."
Christl was referring to the fifth game. One would think Carson would have been full of energy after battling back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match.
A block by McKinley Chesley and a well-placed push by Moriah Maluotoga keyed the early 8-3 Reed run.
Carson closed to 9-8, but never scored another point as Reed ran off the final six scores of the match, Chesley had two kills and Olivia Emerson had a key block.
Carson was one point away from being swept in the third game when it showed the grit that Maw was hoping to see on Tuesday against Reno.
Trailing 21-18, Carson ripped off seven straight points and 12 of the last 13 to win a thriller 25-21.
Reed missed a spike, was called for a bad set and Maluotoga hit long enabling Carson to tie the game at 21. Christa McGahuey scored on a quick set in the middle, and then Reed made two unforced errors which made it 24-21. Carson scored the game-winner when Olivia Emerson netted a down ball.
Micaela Vonwinkel had four kills in the latter stages of the third game, while McGahuey gave the Senators some offense in the early stages of the game.
"That (rally) carried us into the fourth game," Christl.
Reed went on a quick 6-0 burst to start the fourth game, but thanks to a 7-1 flurry, Carson grabbed a 14-9 lead. Reed self-destructed in that span, and Vonwinkel's block on the talented Maluotoga highlighted the run.
Reed closed to 17-16 thanks to kills by Emerson and Maluotoga and a block by Chesley. Carson rebounded with a nice 7-2 run as Christl pounded one off a block, and then McGahuey and McKenzie Price had a stuff block, Price blocked Chesley and then Vonwinkel and Sarah Lushina had a nice block at the net to give the Senators a 24-18 advantage.
A service error and a long hit by Lushina made it 24-20. Lushina closed it out on the next play with a kill.
In the opening game, a kill by Vonwinkel and a dink by Lushina closed Reed's lead to 20-18. Reed scored five of the next six points to win the game. Chesley close it off with a kill.
In the second game, Carson had a 21-19 advantage, but Reed scored four straight points for a 23-21 lead. Chesley had a kill and Madison Funk a nice block to spark the surge. Carson closed to 24-23, but Reno scored on the next play to go up 2-0.
"The first two games they were hitting inside and we didn't do a good job of adjusting," Maw said. "They were attacking us at angles."