The last time the volleyball team played Irvin, it was a strong way to begin district with a win as they would start 2-1. Looking to pick up momentum against the Rockets, again, they were unable to top Irvin, falling in three sets (25-23, 25-16, 25-22).

“We need to work on communicating more and finishing. We did well at some points but we let those moments go. We need to start off strong and we need to finish, we need to want it,” outside hitter Cynthia Tarin said.

The first set opened very even at 10-10 as both teams hit very well but conceded on defensive mistakes. Irvin would take the lead at 19-16, before the Bears would spark a 7-2 run to take the lead at 23-21, forcing Irvin to call timeout. However, the timeout allowed Irvin to regroup and win the set 25-23 on a 4-0 run of their own.

Irvin would pick up where they left off in the first set, rolling with a 9-1 run to start to second set. The Bears slowly came back into the set, sparking a 6-2 run to close Irvin’s lead at 11-7, before Irvin regained momentum and won the set 25-16. Bowie struggled offensively by keeping the ball in and stopping Irvin’s hits defensively.

The third set was much like the first set, as both teams got off to a 6-6 tie. Bowie took a slight lead at 13-12, before Irvin rallied to take the lead 18-13. Bowie rallied late in the set, but Irvin was able to escape with the third set 25-22, and ultimately winning the game 3-0.

“We started playing good at some points but we started too late, we weren’t talking and our mentality as a team wasn’t all there. We know what we have to do, we just have to take that and apply it to the game,” middle hitter Leslie Soto said.