To put it simply, Carson High's volleyball team couldn't finish Tuesday night against Reno.
Carson blew a 21-16 lead in the first game and a 24-22 lead in the second before getting dominated by the Huskies in the third game of the Northern 4A crossover match at Morse Burley Gym. Reno won 25-23, 26-24 and 25-13.
Despite being swept, Carson coach Robert Maw did see some positive things.
"We're trying to make the change to a quick-set offense, and we ran quite a few 1s today," Maw said. "I was pleased with that. Unfortunately it may have come at the expense of our blocking. We didn't block well tonight."
Annie Challis and Lauren Hoogs were especially proficient on the attack for the Huskies, who also got some nice front-line play from Sarah Pappas, Katy Murphey and Allison Cummins.
Reno coach Adrian Paschal said her team couldn't keep up with the Senators' quick pace in the opening game.
Carson had leads of 10-3, 12-4, 13-6, 15-8 and 17-11 before the momentum started to shift toward Reno.
The Huskies trimmed the lead to 17-16 as Camille Stuyvesant served up an ace and Hoogs put down two of her seven kills. Carson misplayed two balls in that span and two aces cut the lead.
"She (Hoogs) plays with a lot of energy," Paschal said. "She doesn't make a lot of mistakes."
A kill by Sarah Lushina and two aces by Mckenzie Price gave the Senators a 21-16 lead. Reno scored nine of the last 11 points to steal the opener. Challis had two kills, while Cummins had a stuff block and kill.
"It's hard to get momentum when you aren't serving well," Paschal said. "You work hard to get one point and then you put a serve in the net. We missed five serves."
Reno missed three of its first five serves, and then started to settle down, and Paschal felt that was the key to the game.
Reno rallied from an 8-4 deficit to grab a 10-8 lead in the second game. After Carson tied the game at 10-10 and 11-11, no more than four points separated over the next 12 service attempts. Kills by Jenny Wittman and Pappas plus a bad set by Carson enabled the Huskies to grab a 20-16 lead.
With Angela Augusta serving, Carson scored five straight for a 21-20 advantage. Christa McGahuey had a kill and Pappas was long on two kill attempts.
Carson went ahead 24-22 thanks to an ace by McGahuey and a deep corner kill by Kristalei Wolfe. A kill by Challis and a double-hit called on Wolfe tied the game at 24. A kill by Murphey and an ace by Pappas ended the game and gave the Huskies a 2-0 lead and a huge momentum boost.
Unfortunately, losing two heartbreakers took its toll on Carson. The Senators didn't put up much of a fight in the final game.
The score was 3-all, but Reno scored 12 of the next 15 points for a 15-6 lead. Carson never got closer than seven points the rest of the way. Hoogs had three kills as did Challis, while Cummins added a block and kill.
"It's hard to come back when you lose the first two games like that," Paschal said.
"The girls got down (in the third game," Maw said. "One of the biggest problems we have right now is a consistent go-to person, somebody who can get a point consistently when we need it."
Sarah Lushina led Carson with seven kills and McGahuey added five.
