The Wauneta-Palisade volleyball team hit the road last week for matches against Southwest and Stapleton.
    WP opened the week with a five-set loss to Southwest (3-9)Sept. 11 The team started off well, opening up a 6-1 lead in the first set.
    “I felt like we came out with a lot of intensity against Southwest,” said WP Head Coach Terra Higgins.
    WP took it’s foot off the gas, however, and let the Roughriders regroup.
    “We got up on them right away and then kind of relaxed, allowing Southwest to get back into the game,” Higgins said. “At that point, we lost our momentum and simply could not finish.”
    The Broncos fell behind 0-2 with losses of 26-28 and 17-25, then forced a set five after wins of 25-17 and 25-23. Set five went to the Roughriders, 13-15.
    Higgins said finishing has been a point of emphasis for WP
    “That has been our focus this last week, finishing each set and playing with intensity points 1 to 25,” she said, adding, “I was proud of the girls for rallying back and taking them five sets after losing a heartbreaker in set one.”
    Two days later WP bounced back with a sweep of Stapleton (2-5). WP previously defeated Stapleton Aug. 30 at the Paxton triangular.
    “The girls had some great confidence coming into this game,” said Higgins. “I thought that really showed on the court with their energy. It was good to pick things back up and get a win after the tough loss at Southwest.”

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