Turlock Christian High has been known to warm up slowly on the volleyball court, a characteristic that can sometimes take the air out from under the Eagles’ wings. Such was the case on Thursday when TC hosted Le Grand High. The Bulldogs took advantage of the slow starting girls of TC, claiming victory in straight sets (14-25, 21-25, and 17-25).

“We were slow,” TC’s head coach Ken Wynne said. “Normally our defense is a lot quicker.”

The first half of the first game was a competitive one as TC and Le Grand battled back and forth on the court. Soft shots from the Bulldogs and wide shots from the Eagles soon led to a sizeable lead for Le Grand, however, who quickly ran away with the lead.

In the second game TC stepped up and began to play to its capabilities. The defense improved on its blocking while the offense’s serving and accuracy did the same. The increased communication between the Lady Eagles resulted in better execution which in turn allowed TC to take an early lead.

“We were finally doing what we normally do,” Wynne said.

Unfortunately for TC, Le Grand refused to drop the game and battled back for the narrow victory. Faced with a game of catch-up, disheartened, and tired, TC dropped the third game and sealed the Bulldog victory.

“They put pressure on our girls and we couldn’t find a chink in their armor,” Wynne said. “We couldn’t get the ball down against their defense.”

Although the match was a source of frustration for the Eagles, Coach Wynne is confident his team will pick up the pace as the season progresses. TC gets the chance to negate Thursday’s loss on Monday when they face Waterford High.