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The co-ed volleyball team fell 3–1 to the Churchill Bulldogs after a series of close sets, despite a strong offensive showing.

The first set saw the best of both teams, and was very close throughout, with the Bulldogs ultimately winning 25–21 thanks to their powerful lineup of hitters.

The Vikes’ offense came back strong for the second set, however, and after a series of successful spikes they beat the Bulldogs 25–19, evening the score at one set apiece.

During the third set, Churchill’s players showed their technical prowess, outscoring the Vikes 25–8 due to the Vikes’ defensive breakdown.

“We have a lot of work to do with our defense and blocking,” rightside hitter Simone Augustine said. “Getting up their hits after they hit us and getting it back into play is what killed us the most.”

The Vikes improved their defense for the fourth set but ultimately lost 20–25. Team members accredit much of the loss to the mentality they have when playing tough teams like Churchill.

“I think that what really got us is our mental game: we don’t really have a strong mental attitude. When we get in holes and lose a lot of points we tend to get angry at each other and angry with ourselves, so that hurts us in the long run,” outside hitter Maddie McGill said. “We have the skills to beat any team, we just don’t have the mentality to do it.”

The Vikes hope to improve by the time they face Churchill in playoffs and continue to build on the skill set new members have.

“Some of the guys just started, so we’ll have a better court sense later in the season,” outside hitter Hannah Jacobs said. “I think we’ll definitely be better at defense, which is going to be the difference, and we’ll beat them next time we see them.”

After spring break, the Vikes look to secure a win against the B-CC Barons April 14.