SHERIDAN – After a perfect start to volleyball season, Sheridan hit its first speed bump Tuesday night.
Hot Springs Lakeside defeated the Lady Jackets 3-1 in Sheridan, handing them their first loss of the year. The Lady Rams prevailed 25-13, 23-25, 25-23, 25-9.
Lakeside (6-2 overall, 4-0 5A South) senior Madelyn Landry scored a game-high 12 kills. Sheridan junior Addison Hill led the Lady Jackets with 10.
Sheridan (5-1, 3-1) had swept each of its previous opponents, but head coach Emily Grimmett said Lakeside is the best team the Lady Jackets have faced.
“They have a D1 setter [Lauren Latham] that’s committed to Kansas State,” Grimmett said. “She’s pretty salty. [Landry] can kill the ball. They’re just a solid, well-coached, get to every block, dig up everything. They have a lot of fight in them, and they are just very disciplined.”
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The Lady Rams dominated the first set, though Sheridan had a 5-0 run with Hill serving. Sophomore Peyton Sterritt scored three kills during that stretch, which cut the early deficit to 11-8. Landry broke serve with a kill, and Lakeside soon retook control. The Lady Rams finished the set on a 10-0 run.
Sheridan responded with a much better showing in the second set. Lakeside overcame a deficit to tie the set at 23, but kills from Hill and Sterritt made Sheridan the first team in four conference games to take a set against Lakeside.
Grimmett said she gave her players a pep talk after the first set.
“Before the game, I just told our girls, whatever happens, don’t make excuses,” Grimmett said. “If you make a mistake, bounce back from it. If you get punched in the mouth, get up swinging harder. We kind of talked about that again after set one.”
Lakeside opened the third set on a 5-0 run, but Sheridan fought back. The Lady Jackets managed to tie the set at 23, but it was Lakeside’s turn to score the final two points and take a 2-1 match lead.
Sheridan, playing beyond the third set for the first time this season, seemingly ran out of gas as Lakeside cruised to victory in the fourth.
With Sheridan’s loss, Lakeside and Benton are the final two teams undefeated in 5A South play. The Lady Jackets will host Benton on Thursday, a team Grimmett said is better than Lakeside.
She said it is hard to prepare for teams such as Lakeside and Benton, because Sheridan can’t simulate in practice what those teams can do. She said her players need to take it one point at a time and not put too much pressure on themselves when they face teams this talented.
“We’re focused, but we’re tight,” Grimmett said. “We’re not focused and loose, so let’s go just have some fun.”