The Lady Wildcats started strong Thursday against Livingston Central but fell victim to a Lady Cardinal run and lost 2-1 (25-23, 10-25, 18-25).
That leaves Trigg with a 4-12 overall record and a 0-4 mark in district play, meaning the Lady ‘Cats will be the No. 3 seed in the tournament and play the No. 2 seed. Livingston Central and Crittenden County are each 3-1 in district play. The top seed will earn a bye into the district championship match, and both finalists will automatically advance to the 2nd Region Tournament.
Trigg athletic director Jim Perrin said the tournament schedule and top seed will be determined at a district volleyball meeting Wednesday.
Against the Lady Cardinals, Trigg fell behind 8-2 early but quickly closed the gap and took the lead for the first time at 14-13. Neither team led by more than two points for the rest of the first game, and Trigg scored three straight to end it, capped by a pair of aces by Morgan Parker.
Livingston jumped out to 8-2 leads in both the second and third games. In the second game, Trigg could get no closer than five points the rest of the way. In the third, the Lady ‘Cats were able to close the gap to 10-8, but Livingston moved back to an eight-point margin later in the match and never allowed Trigg to score more than three consecutive points.
Prior to the match TCHS head coach Scott Hill said the Lady ‘Cats would need to avoid unforced errors to pull out the win, and service errors ended up being a main culprit in Trigg’s defeat. Trigg failed on the serve 12 times, including seven in the third game alone. Trigg also lost three points on net touches and a few others due to miscommunication.
“Our serves were pitiful,” Hill said. “We do so good and then we regress, and I don’t understand it. The communication degraded as we went on. It’s heartbreaking out here to put so much time and energy just to have this happen.”
Hill said Trigg’s biggest problem at this point in the season is an inability to take the things the team does well in practice and make them work in matches.
“When emotions run wild, I think it’s hard for them to come back when they get down emotionally,” Hill said. “You always want to take the positives and build from there, and it’s hard to adjust in the game when you’ve served so well in practice like we have.”
Now, Hill said, the Lady ‘Cats need to prepare themselves better mentally if they hope to pull off an upset in the district tournament.
“It’s hard to motivate your team after a loss, especially when they showed they can win,” Hill said. “It’s something we just have to do. We can lay down and lose, which I don’t accept, or we can adjust.”
Trigg also lost to Fort Campbell on Thursday, falling 25-18, 25-20.
Trigg was set to host University Heights on Tuesday (results unavailable at press time) before a home game Thursday against Hopkinsville. The Lady ‘Cats end their season on the road, playing Tuesday at Christian County and next Thursday at Graves County.
