Marshalltown volleyball’s offense didn’t have the accuracy to keep pace with Ames in a four-set loss at the Roundhouse on Tuesday.
The Little Cyclones (5-8) won 25-21, 19-25, 25-17, 25-18. Marshalltown fell to 3-3 and competes next at a Southeast Polk tournament on Saturday.
“We really found ourselves in some sticky situations [offensively] tonight,” Marshalltown head coach Jen O’Neal said. “We preach having a faster tempo offense and finding those open spots, and it’s something we’ll need to work on going forward.”
MHS led 11-5 in the first set before Ames answered with a 10-0 run that put the Little Cyclones in front for good.
The Bobcats were more efficient in the second set, trading early runs with Ames and then settling in behind a variety of attackers, including four kills for Ellie Hughes, three for Madison Rogers and two each for Olivia Holmgren and Kennedy Feldman.
The teams were tied 12-12 before three straight points for the Bobcats, leading all the way to the set two victory.
“Our passing was not terrible all night long, serve receive especially,” O’Neal said. “After losing set one, it was just time to dig deep – what were we going to come back with? And they really embraced that and were able to come out strong.”
Ames’ leading attacker, Elizabeth Greenfield, hammered at the Bobcats in the third set with six kills and an ace, including two kills in a pivotal 6-0 run that allowed the Little Cyclones to pull away for the 2-1 advantage.
Attack errors that had nagged at the Bobcats for most of the match mounted again in the fourth set, with Marshalltown hanging in but not stringing together a long enough rally before Ames closed on an 11-5 run for the win.
“[Greenfield] is a great hitter, she really challenged us a lot and I think we can work on our defense with hitters like that,” O’Neal said. “We have a lot of really good film to look at tonight and learn from. We’ll have a priority list on what we need to work on and then just take it one match at a time from there. The season isn’t over, we’ve only just begun, so it’s about how we persevere and move on to the next.”
Saturday’s Southeast Polk tournament will present a challenge, including a pool play match with second-ranked Ankeny Centennial.
“We’re gonna face some really, really good teams,” O’Neal said. “It’s all about how we respond to our loss tonight. Tomorrow’s another day. We’re gonna reflect on this one for a bit and then we have to put this aside and push forward.”
