In a recent stretch of games, the Lady Hogs have lost a crushing three straight in the past week and a half of play. The most recent loss came on Oct. 30 in a tight competition against LSC opponent Eastern New Mexico.
The match was a tense, tight series set after set with no teams giving ground to the other up to the end. These close matches would see the Hogs on the losing end of the column despite the hard play on the court.
This puts the women in a tough spot to finish the season as they are in a fight to earn a tournament spot in the LSC tournament at the end of regular season competition. With four more matches left on the schedule, the team looks to play up the next two weeks to clinch post season life.
“We’re definitely in an uncomfortable spot but there isn’t anything that’s too big to handle. We’re going to work hard to play ‘catch-up’ to make sure we get to the spot we deserve to be in,” said 2020-21 Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year Ayanna Jackson, who in the past match led the entire floor in kills with 17 while also adding one block and five digs.
Another major contributor in the match against Eastern, and one who looks to impact in big ways in the final stretch of the season, is Sydney Whitmire who led her team in assists on Oct. 30.
Whitmire said she can be a presence in the coming weeks just as she did against Eastern.
“I feel like I can help the team win in the next few weeks of LSC play by giving 100 percent at practices and when I step out on the court, encouraging my teammates, staying positive, and fighting until the last point of every match,” Whitmire said. “I can also help the team win by communicating more to my teammates to help us both become more successful throughout the game.”
The season started with an eight-game winning streak for the Lady Hogs this season as coach Tanya Allen got her women off to a blazing start like her 13-game win streak in last year’s COVID-19 season. But since then, the team has gone 4-7 in the last 11 games.
Allen attributes the tough sledding to the injury bug that has seen players miss a couple of matches this season causing difficulties to the team success.
“We are working hard every day in practice, but the biggest thing we have to do is try to get our team healthy. We have had a steady stream of unfortunate injuries that have plagued our lineup,” Allen said. “If we can get everyone healthy, we will be able to do big things here at the end of the season.”Allen has led her teams to many victories and through many wars to get to the LSC tournament and has been one of the league’s premier coaches in recent years. Recently, she tallied her 100th win of her career at TAMUK and she looks to grab a tournament berth.